Banks and Banking

[adamlumina93]

Has anyone given any thought to how banking would work in Star Wars. How do you guys think that interstellar transmissions are handled. I myself am not sure and the question came from one of my new players. Does anyone every think or thought about this? In theory would it be possible for you to make a withdrawal from your coruscant bank account on corellia and then race to another planet and do it again before the first one posts. Any ideas or suggestions greatly appreciated

[Orpheus]

As an accountant it has crossed my mind. I'm not sure. It all depends upon how currency is set up in the Empire. Is it kind of like the Confederacy where there's a national government and military, but each state (or planet) has its own currency? Or is it more like the E.U. or U.S.? I imagine if they could send transmissions via holonet realtively quickly then something should post relatively quickly if you've gone to a Bank of Alderaan ATM ("what do you mean the system is offline?").
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"He is a very shallow critic who cannot see an eternal rebel in the heart of a conservative."-G.K. Chesterton

[Ray]

From my understanding, the Republic was originally founded, for amongst other things, to standardize a Galactic Currency, the Credit. And, mostly, it worked. (Some places didn't accept it, just like some places won't take US Dollars, British Pounds, Euros, etc.).

I'd be willing to bet that most major planets, or those on major trade routes, would probably just go with this standard currency, while smaller, or more out of the way, planets would have their own currency for internal use, and Credits would be rarer for dealing with the Galactic Community.

But then you could get places like Hutt Space ("Republic Credits will be fine." "No, they won't!") or the Corporate Sector Authority that would restrict Credits to the point of worthlessness, or to where only Governments could legally possess them.

[Darth Ginzain]

Didn't the Palpatine suspend the Holonet, except for military use, after the founding of the Empire? That would reduce banking to going back to old hyperspace transmitters. Unless of course it's a state ran bank.

[garhkal]

[GMT]

My PCs went to Muunilinst (Rebellion era game) and established accounts there, through which they handle their personal finances. I simply say "it works" in response to "does it all work?" A player trying to find financial loopholes such as racing to beat their own bank transactions is not acting in the spirit of any (well run) SW game and a GM would not be very bright to tolerate it.

A smarter GM would let the character try it, only to find themselves unable to get any credit whatsoever, or even open a bank account, and be reduced to operating entirely in cash, which leads to problems with exchange rates, thievery, and more fun for the GM.

[scott2978]

In my games, I have credits divided into three types:

Cred accounts, which are universal bank accounts that work anywhere. All you need to use one is a thumbprint. Personally I think this form of security is laughably lax, but it's the way things are in so many SW books so I use it. I have made the standard "Thumb print" more than just a person's skin ridges though, it also records the pattern of blood vessels and the DNA of the person making the thumbprint, and the scanner can tell whether the thumb is "alive" or not (ie: in case someone cuts off your thumb, it won't work). Cred accounts are the most widely used currency in the coreward systems because of their ease of use and they are 100% traceable. Also, they are relatively difficult for aliens without thumbs to use, which suits the Empire just fine.

Credsticks, which are like USB flash drives filled with "electronic money". Credsticks are the most common form of currency in the midward systems, because while transactions with them are traceable, the identity of the person holding the credstick is not.

Cold hard credits, which are coins minted by the Empire that contain nanochips that can be scanned to verify their authenticity, and to track their use. Most legitimate businesses and banks scan the credits and report their use to the Central Bank on Aargau, but any individual with a hand scanner can verify the credits without reporting their use. This makes hard credits the most popular form of currency in the outer rim, because it's relatively untraceable.

I also allow local currencies, but the Empire mandates that all worlds within it's borders accept Imperial credits or else.

In my game, the Empire does not meddle with the money of the galaxy. I never worked out just why, but Palpatine does not "invent" new money, nor does he meddle with exchange rates or banking in any way. The ISB and Imperial Intelligence are both allowed full access to all banking records throughout the galaxy though.

Scott

[Ray]

[Orpheus]

[garhkal]