The Banque Canadienne Nationale (French pronunciation: [bɑ̃k kanadjɛn nɑsjɔnal]; lit.

The bank was founded in Montreal in 1873 as the Banque d'Hochelaga and began operations the following year.

[1] In 1859, several prominent Quebecers founded the Banque Nationale in Quebec City as a banking institution controlled by French-speaking businessmen.

[4][5] The Quebec provincial government, under Alexandre Taschereau, issued $15 million in bonds to facilitate the merger.

In 1968, Banque Canadienne Nationale was one of the four original banks to form CHARGEX Ltd. through a licence from BankAmericard, providing Canada with its first interbank credit card.