An eminent European figure was the French-Swiss banker and warm-hearted philhellene Ioannis Gabriel Eynard (Lyon 28.12.1775 - Geneva 5.2.1863). Successful business activities and knowledge of the economic mechanisms of the time secured him wealth and recognition in the upper European circles.

His acquaintance with Ioannis Kapodistrias will be decisive as he instilled in him the love for the Greek Revolution. His action during the Revolution was decisive as he contributed to the raising of money for the purchase of ammunition and managed to influence influential personalities of Europe over the Greek rights.

After the Revolution, Eynard served as an unofficial financial advisor to Ioannis Kapodistrias. He persuaded him to emphasize the development of the countryside by providing free funds and offering cultivation loans to farmers given through the establishment of a banking organization.

Kapodistrias, by decree, established in Aegina on February 2, 1828, the '' National Financial Bank'' funded by Eynard, King Louis of Bavaria and Kapodistrias. The new bank, headed by Georgios Stavrou, survived for only six years (1828-1834) as it could not cover the abysmal budget deficits.

However, the bank managed to contribute significantly to the reorganization of the army, the reconstruction of the fleet and the suppression of piracy; the administration's first organization, the maintenance of low-income families; the financing of reconstruction projects in the country.

The establishment of the National Bank of Greece in 1841 was Eynard's and Stavros's following banking vision. His services to Greece continued in 1847 when he faced the demands of the English bankers for the 1832 loan to Greece while he paid half a million gold francs himself to satisfy them.

Eynard died in Geneva on February 5, 1863. In his honour, the National Bank has named the building that houses its Educational Foundation (MIET) "Eynard's Mansion", and the Municipality of Athens gave his name to a central street.