Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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1794
Cochineal market manipulation losses
The firm reportedly lost millions of guilders between 1787 and 1794 in a deliberate effort to manipulate the price of cochineal imported from Mexico.
1792
French accusation of speculation against credit and currency
French finance minister Étienne Clavière accused Hope & Co. of being the leading member of a group of bankers speculating against French credit and the currency. The allegation occurred amid wider revolutionary-era financial tensions.
1781
Inheritance-tax controversy after Adrian Hope's death
After Adrian Hope died without children, the heirs paid what was described as a small inheritance tax. The treatment was regarded by authorities as fraudulent, and Hope & Co. threatened to relocate to Ostend.