The
Bank for International Settlements (
BIS; , BRI) is an international company limited by shares owned by
central banks which "fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for
central banks". The BIS carries out its work through subcommittees, the secretariats it hosts and through an annual general meeting of all member banks. It also provides banking services, but only to central banks and other international organizations. It is based in
Basel,
Switzerland, with representative offices in
Hong Kong and
Mexico City.