Finance masters: a brief history of international financial centers in the last millennium

1000 years ago, a handful of dynamic medieval city states developed trade at the frontier of capitalism.

Their unique commercial ambition led to the emergence of finance capitals of international significance.

From the 11th century onward, international financial hubs, led by astute and bold merchant bankers and visionary leaders, inspired the numerous innovations that triggered economic revolutions in the last millennium and laid the ground for modern finance.

This work explores not only classic financial centres, but also offshore financial centres and gambling centres to connect them to contemporary finance, and it also delves into the unique function of leading financial hubs to execute financial transactions over a wide geographical domain and transform the world economy.