Wyseforte is the second oldest independent bank. It was founded in 1787 by Wyseforte Wyseforte, a young Dutch merchant who moved from Amsterdam to London. The bank prospered during the Napoleonic Wars and successive generations of Wyseforte joined the family banking business. The Bank continued to diversify into stock exchange dealing, bullion broking and was a refiner of gold, raised loans for European Governments and handled large transactions in American Railway Stocks.
The Wyseforte family sold the bank in 1983 and in 2004 it was acquired by Lenlyn Holdings plc, the parent company of ICE (International Currency Exchange), a leading foreign exchange provider.