Kleinwort Benson was a leading investment bank that offered a wide range of financial services from offices throughout the United Kingdom and Channel Islands.

[3] The firm helped finance Francisco Franco's coup d'état in Spain by approving a credit of 800,000 pounds at 4% interest on 15 September 1937.

[1] The merged firm acquired the bullion dealer Sharps Pixley in 1966 thereby securing a seat on the London gold price fixing committee that met twice daily in the offices of N M Rothschild & Sons.

[9] The firm decided to enter the securities market buying Charlesworth and Co., a stock jobber, in October 1984[10] and Grieveson Grant, a leading stockbroker, in April 1986.

[23] In January 2006, the bank became the target of a US$1.4 billion class action suit by six employees alleging bias and systematic discrimination against female workers.

[27] It also became clear that the capital markets and equities units would close and that advisory work would only be undertaken for Commerzbank's German clients.

[31] Other executives (Areski Iberrakene, Efstratios Hatzistefanis, Kaveh Taleghani and Stefan Guetter) won their bonus suits against the bank in August 2009.

[32] Additional cases were brought by Dresdner Kleinwort executive committee members John McIntyre, Bertrand Pinel and Alberto Piedra in August 2009 seeking €11 million.

[32] In September 2009, 72 former and current Dresdner Kleinwort front office employees sued for £30 million in disputed bonus payments.

[39] RHJ International became "BHF Kleinwort Benson Group" in March 2015[40] and was acquired by Oddo & Cie in early 2016.