The Victoria Credit and Saving Institute in Arad, also known as the Victoria Bank, played an important role in the evolution of Romanians from the dualist monarchy. Considered the second Romanian bank, it granted loans with convenient interest rates and competed with the most powerful banks in the area. The period 1900-1914 is one of prosperity for the Victoria Institute, which expanded its activity in the rural world by establishing three branches in Arad County. During this period, the Institute became more and more involved in solving some problems faced by the Romanian society. Since 1900 the management of the Institute has taken part in a series of charitable activities whose main purpose was to help the poor children of the Arad schools. In the following years, due to the intensification of the Magyarization policy, the Institute became more and more involved in such activities and supported the edification of new schools,in order to correspond to the law imposed by the Budapest authorities, which led to the rescue of the Romanian schools, so the Magyarization policy did not reach the expected level.
INVOLVEMENT OF THE CREDIT INSTITUTE AND ECONOMIES „VICTORIA” FROM ARAD IN THE PROBLEMS OF THE ROMANIAN SOCIETY (1900-1914)
