This update was signed in March 2003 and has recently been re-examined in certain areas, such as the compilation of euro yield curves and annual financial accounts. In those and other areas of statistics, the ECB also stands ready to serve the needs of the European Commission and other users.
These changes were reflected in - and influenced by - the evolution of banking. In Babylonia, merchants made grain loans to farmers. In ancient Greece, lenders began to accept deposits and change money. And in the 17th century, Amsterdam became a centre of derivatives, short selling and proprietary trading. Today, banking is a global industry.