The Impact of the Banque de l'Indochine on the Economic Structure of Cochinchina through the Development of Rubber Plantations during the French Colonial Period

This article analyzes the role and profound impact of the Banque de l’Indochine (BIC) on the structural transformation of the Cochinchinese economy through the creation of the rubber industry from 1875 to 1945. Utilizing historical methods and economic data analysis, the research demonstrates that the BIC functioned not merely as a credit provider but as a strategic regulatory entity, driving the transition from traditional wet-rice agriculture to a capital-intensive industrial plantation model. The findings elucidate how the BIC leveraged its financial privileges to patronize French conglomerates, acquire land concessions, and establish specialized export zones in Southeast Vietnam. This intervention, while fostering infrastructural modernization and capitalist economic management, simultaneously institutionalized a heavy dependence of the colonial economy on the metropole and profoundly altered the socio-labor structure. The study contributes to clarifying the essence of French finance capital in shaping the economic landscape of colonial Cochinchina.