|
|
BankHeadOffice.com
|
|
♦
Loan Calculators ♦ Mortgage Guides ♦ Banking FAQs ♦ Banking Institutions ♦ Central Banks Worldwide |
|
|
|
|
|||||
History of Banking
The first banks were the merchants of ancient world that made loans to farmers and traders that carried goods between cities. The first records of such activity dates back to around 2000 BC in Assyria and Babylonia. Later in ancient Greece and during the Roman Empire lender based in temples would make loans but also added two important innovations that of accepted deposits and changing money. During this period there is similar evidence of the independent development of lending of money in ancient China and separately in ancient India.
Banking in the modern sense of
the word can be traced to medieval and early Renaissance Italy, to the rich
cities in the north like Florence, Venice and Genoa. The Bardi and Peruzzi
families dominated banking in 14th century Florence, establishing branches
in many other parts of Europe. Perhaps the most famous Italian bank was the
Medici bank, set up by Giovanni Medici in 1397.
The development of banking spread through Europe and a number of important
inovations took place in Amsterdam during during the Dutch republic in the
16th century and in London in the 17th century. During the 20th century
developments in telecommunications and computing resulting in major changes
to way banks operated and allowing them dramatically increase in size and
geographic spread. The Late-2000s financial crisis saw significant number of
bank failures, including some of the worlds largest banks and much debate
about bank regulation.
The history of banking is closely related to the history of money but banking transactions probably predate the invention of money. Deposits initially consisted of grain and later other goods including cattle, agricultural implements, and eventually precious metals such as gold, in the form of easy-to-carry compressed plates. Temples and palaces were the safest places to store gold as they were constantly attended and well built. As sacred places, temples presented an extra deterrent to would-be thieves.
In the late 18th century there was a massive growth in the banking industry. Banks played a key role in moving from gold and silver based coinage to paper money, redeemable against the bank's holdings. Within the new system of ownership and investment, the state's role as an economic factor grew substantially.
|
Banking Frequent Ask Questions |
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
 |
History |
|
Banking Activities |
|
Economic Functions |
|
Regulation |
|
|
Definition |
|
Risk and Capital |
|
Banking Crisis |
|
Types of Banks |