n the interest of openness and academic research, the Bank voluntarily decided to open its historical archive to the public in March 1998.
Under the BIS open archive rules, all records relating to the Bank's business and operational activities which are over 30 years old are available for consultation, with the exception of a limited number of records that remain private or confidential even after 30 years have elapsed. It is within the BIS's discretion to determine which records will not be released for public consultation. Any such decision will normally be based on the principle of protection of personal privacy and of legitimate third-party interests. All files open for consultation are listed in the BIS Archive catalogue.
The records are paper-based, with a selection of records relating to the Bank's activities during the period 1930-48 also available as scanned versions. In addition, the BIS Archive possesses a small photo collection.