The Banca Popolare Cooperativa di Casarano, founded on May 19, 1899, through the notarial act of Salvatore Ponzetta, was one of the many cooperative popular banks established at the end of the 19th century in Italy. These financial institutions were designed to provide economic support to the working classes and farmers, facilitating access to credit in a historical phase where large national banks had less presence in small local realities, particularly in the south of Italy. The bank was authorized by the Court of Lecce in 1899, operating with unlimited capital, a feature typical of popular cooperatives that relied on the membership of shareholders.