Currently there is no financial system, or at least none that I have heard of being mentioned.

I would like to help establish the following things:

• Credit agencies/brokers. This is the first institution that I think is necessary for a well-functioning financial system. I cannot finance anyone, because there are no brokers of credit (e.g. banks, S&L companies). When this step is achieved, I will gladly pump funds into the financial system.

• Commodities exchange. This is best done via a website, as it will allow automated trading and high-volume trading. This is not necessary, but will nevertheless aid in creating a financial system with a higher amount of liquidity and effectiveness than otherwise.

• Escrow agencies. This is not exactly a part of a financial system, but it would serve to increase trading between those that do not fully trust each other, but who do trust the escrow service.

• Rating/reputation agencies. These serve to determine the trustworthiness of individuals and firms. Credit agencies will rely heavily upon personal recommendations until rating agencies are established, thus credit will be limited and difficult to get in the short-term. In the long-term, rating agencies serve to make a strong profit, especially if they couple with a defense/intelligence company in order to gather more information about the trustworthiness of individuals and firms.

• Financial instrument exchange. This type of exchange is probably not useful at the moment, since most firms are not financially aware enough to bother with stocks and bonds, much less any other type of financial instrument. This may become very useful once civilization is more firmly entrenched, especially if firms start tracking their finances.

With a well-functioning financial system, Civcraft players will find that they can more easily get access to iron ingots, diamonds, and any other commodity. This will provide both increased industry, but also opportunities for players to learn how to manage finances and to see how the market process can be used to achieve sophisticated economic and financial goals.