Banking Houses
- Thread starter Vladika
- Start date
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
My TU
IMTU
Only through Megacorps or on worlds with a TL above 12
IMTU
Only through Megacorps or on worlds with a TL above 12
I'd give good odds that there would be one or more de Rothschild's somewhere in the Imperium :devil:
You know there are lots of types of banks. Retail banks that any Traveller can walk into a branch at the Starport or log onto in most systems, banks that lend to banks, banks that are a branch of a megacorps and handle the transfer of funds around the corporation, banks that own asteroids where they operate the ultimate deposit boxes (with deep meson security). [Edit] Banks that only lend to Nobles and banks that follow some special cultural, religious or ethnic banking rules.
There will probably be banking leagues or unions a bit like the mail/postal unions that exist between groups of planets in the OTU. Banks that share information across clusters, sectors and domains to make funds transfere easier or to provide something like the cirius (I may be mis-remembering that name) system that allows funds access from ATMs across European banks.
I love the special Imperial Navy bank "IN Credit" that appears in GT The Best of JTAS. I have it IMTU and a similar Paymasters Dept. for my Imperial Army. those a definitly Imperium wide.
You know it strikes me that there is evidence of Imperium wide banks in the OTU if you can get a ship's mortgage at the same rate and terms everywhere and if when you skip the bank comes after you regardless of sector or subsector boundaries.
You know there are lots of types of banks. Retail banks that any Traveller can walk into a branch at the Starport or log onto in most systems, banks that lend to banks, banks that are a branch of a megacorps and handle the transfer of funds around the corporation, banks that own asteroids where they operate the ultimate deposit boxes (with deep meson security). [Edit] Banks that only lend to Nobles and banks that follow some special cultural, religious or ethnic banking rules.
There will probably be banking leagues or unions a bit like the mail/postal unions that exist between groups of planets in the OTU. Banks that share information across clusters, sectors and domains to make funds transfere easier or to provide something like the cirius (I may be mis-remembering that name) system that allows funds access from ATMs across European banks.
I love the special Imperial Navy bank "IN Credit" that appears in GT The Best of JTAS. I have it IMTU and a similar Paymasters Dept. for my Imperial Army. those a definitly Imperium wide.
You know it strikes me that there is evidence of Imperium wide banks in the OTU if you can get a ship's mortgage at the same rate and terms everywhere and if when you skip the bank comes after you regardless of sector or subsector boundaries.
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
In My Traveller Universe, Lloyd's Bank of Terra has branches at pretty much all of the planets with at least a Class C star port, and some Class D. Lloyd's of Terra is one of the Imperium's leading insurance brokers, and also handles mercenary engagements along with other business. The Solomani Sun Bank covers all planets in the Solomani Sphere. Then there is the Imperium Bank of Regina in the Spinward Marches. I have not added more than that.
Lloyd's of London (Terra) is actually canon in Traveller (IIRC it was in the DGP material or GURPS material): Lloyd's is an insurance underwriter in the Solomani Confederation, filling a role similar to TAS's insurance underwriting activities.
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
As I do not have any GURPS, and not that much Digest Group, I would not know that.
Patron Zero
SOC-13
Silly question but might one ask what sort of 'gold' standard the established banks back their lines of credit with ?
I ask because precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum would lose value with miners and surveyors flooding the marketplace with mega-tons of such commodities from mineral-rich asteroid fields.
I ask because precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum would lose value with miners and surveyors flooding the marketplace with mega-tons of such commodities from mineral-rich asteroid fields.
Planetary banks would back their currency with Imperial credits and the Imperium would back its credits with the combined economies of 9000 systems.
Hans
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Just an observation (not a follow on or comment on anyone's previous post).
Remember how the RoM collapsed and the Long Night began?
A world bank refused to honour the credit...
Interesting stuff
Remember how the RoM collapsed and the Long Night began?
A world bank refused to honour the credit...
Interesting stuff
Vladika
SOC-14 1K
I'm with you on that. I see the Imperial Credit as the "reserve currency." It'd also probably be "Fiat Money", but what a stable basis!
Not a silly question. The Imperium might be on the 'Iridium' standard, tho.
It's fiat money all right. GT:FT says that the Imperium monitors the growth of the economy and increases the supply of currency to match the growth.
Hans
Lycanorukke
SOC-13
You could play all sorts of games with the currency market then.
Core or the local sector capital announces a value change, you jump in your ship and 'outrun' the banking update and go wild with exchanging local creds/CrImps before jumping to the next planet to make a killing. Even if the main worlds are J-6 linked as opposed to Xboats, just aim for a nearby non-xboated world and you have at least a week before the update arrives.
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
I have the Imperium on the gold standard at 400 credits per troy ounce or approximately 31.1 grams, which gives slightly over 32 ounces per kilogram. Tech Level 5 and lower worlds use a metallic-based currency, typically gold or silver, which means that prices in Imperial Credits on those worlds are considerably higher than one would expect.
In Research Station Gamma, the value in Imperial Credits of a troy ounce of gold is given as 200, or 400 Credits in bullion value of a gold Droyne coyn weighing 2 troy ounces. The 400 credits allows for inflation since 1979.
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The point of increasing the supply of currency as the economy expands is to keep the value of the Imperial credit steady. Otherwise you would get deflation. The fact that people know that the sector mint will keep the supply of currency balanced with the economy will prevent speculation because everybody knows that the value of the CrImp won't fluctuate.
Hans
Patron Zero
SOC-13
Tends to make one speculate on what's taking up space in the Imperium's version of Fort Knox and subsequent 'satellite' depositories.
The bit about bolstering up the value of the Imperial Credit (CrImp) brings to mind historical photos of millions of pre-WWII Deutschmarks needed to purchase a small loaf of bread.
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Lycanorukke
SOC-13
Steady in relation to what though?
If Sector A has a mining boom, then that bit of the Imperium is growing, thus the CrImps in circulation has to change to keep pace. But over in Sector B a world has just had the Vargr bomb the crap out of its industrial base, reducing its local currency value. A flood of CrImps to compensate for A's value increase would cause a lot of hurt in B's value decrease. Maybe they adjust the CrImp by using a few specific worlds as the value basis (eg: the hi pops) which are the 'real' economies.
If the local creds are fixed in relation to the CrImp it becomes even more messy. And with time lags, information arriving late could cause a nasty feedback effect (inflation or deflation).
