For World Cities Day, Le National published an essay by Dominique Domerçant asking what the façades of Haiti's banks, from 1986 to 2026, reveal about their economic, symbolic and aesthetic role in the city.

The author argues that banks sell trust before they sell services, and that their buildings are designed to say so: solid materials, spacious halls, high ceilings and prominent signs.

He points to the familiar features of bank exteriors, from columns and large doors to tinted glass and heavy grilles, and sums up his idea in one line: a bank's façade speaks before anyone walks in. The essay looks at private and public banks and leaves aside the “banks” of the borlette lottery.

A companion piece by Domerçant in the same newspaper examines how banks shape the look of Haitian cities.