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The history of banking is rich and began with the establishment of prototype banks.
Previously, people could loan each other various trade commodities, particularly grains, which
were common goods. The prototype banks were owned by global merchants that gave grain
loans to traders and farmers and carried the goods between cities. This practice occurred around
2000BC in the most established kingdoms, including Assyria, Sumeria, and India (Velanganni
15). The banking later spread to ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. There were lenders in
temples that gave out loans, accepted deposits, and changed currency.
various areas that appeared more economically developed than the rest. For example, the
medieval and Renaissance Italy, particularly the affluent cities of Genoa, Venice, and Florence,
demonstrated advanced banking practices (Hoggson 71). There were established families in these
cities controlling the banking system. For example, in Florence, the families of Peruzzi and Bardi
dominated the banking sectors in the 14th century (Hoggson 72). The families spread their
practices by creating other branches across Europe and other parts across the world. For instance,
Medici Bank rose as the most famous bank during this period that was established in 1397 by
Giovanni Medici.
The development of banking first spread across Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries
throughout the Holy Roman Empire to northern Europe (Hoggson 63). Significant innovations
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occurred in the 17th century, specifically in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. More
developments occurred in London in the 18th century and spread through the 19th and 20th
innovations brought considerable improvements in bank operations and supported the dramatic
increase in geographic spread and the banking industry's size. The various financial crisis,
including the Great Depression and the financial crisis of 2007, engineered the increased bank
regulations.
Banking practices in the United States began as early as the late 17th century. The growth
of banking in the country was based on the creation of a central bank that would regulate the
flow of banking practices such as the lending of money and commodities, and interest rates. The
act of the Confederation Congress established the Bank of North America in Philadelphia, 1781
(The First Bank of the United States 1). the bank superseded Bank of Pennsylvania, a state-
chartered bank developed in 1780 to fund the war. The Bank of North American dominated the
The huge developments in the establishment of a central bank are associated with Robert
Morris. The man was the first superintendent of finance. He proposed the change of Bank of
North America into a commercial bank that would act solely as the government's monetary and
fiscal agent (The First Bank of the United States 5). The superintendent was a pioneer of paper
circulation and a system of credit within the country. His ideas were borrowed from the
successful banking system in England that operated at the national level for-profit and private
monopoly. After the end of the civil war, more commercial banks were developed at the state
levels, including Bank of Massachusetts and Bank of New York in 1784. In the early 18th to
mid-18th centuries, more commercial banks arose due to state governments' free charters.
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Michigan and New York were at the frontlines of issuing banking charters, thereby creating
The history of interest rates originates from the trades occurring in Europe, particularly
from the established kingdoms and empires. The merchants who gave out loans to traders and
farmers attached interest while repaying the principal amounts. Homer and Sylla note that credit
preceded the coining of money in the historical period by more than 2000 years (17). Documents
retrieved from early kingdoms such as Sumerians and Assyria provide evidence that traders used
interest rates to give out loans. The common items loaned during this period include grains and
However, loaning with interest during this period was not much common since the idea
of attaching interests on loans was not widely known. Loans without interest were undoubtedly
conventional as they were conducted friendly, charitably, or with neighbors or friends (Homer
and Sylla 18). For instance, because there was no paper money during this period, one would
take a loan of a cup of sugar or even awn mowers and return them after an agreed period.
Afterward, the borrowing of loans became more commercialized, resulting in the rise of interest
rates. The demand and supply of loans determined the interest rates to be attached to the
commodities.
The rise of the paper money and advancements in the banking sector meant that the
practice of lending and borrowing had advanced. Banks operated as institutions that gave out
loans that had to be repaid with interest for profitability. The significant global developments,
such as the Industrial Revolution and the agrarian revolution, significantly spearheaded the
The history of banking and interest rates globally began around 2000BC in the most
developed kingdoms and empires, including Assyria, Sumeria, and India. Innovations during the
medieval and Renaissance in Italy and the first bank's creation strengthened the practice of
giving loans and attaching interest rates. In the United States, the banking system and methods
spread from Europe, particularly England. Banks rose fast after the civil war, although the
country was much determined to create a central bank to regulate the credit and interest rates.
The developments in the 18th and 19th centuries were critical towards realizing the current
banking system.
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Cited Works
Homer, Sidney, and Richard Eugene Sylla. A history of interest rates. Rutgers University Press,
1996.
"The First Bank of The United States: A Chapter in the History of Central
Banking.". Philadelphiafed.Org,
https://www.philadelphiafed.org/-/media/publications/economic-education/first-bank.pdf.