During the crisis the Bank also sought to strengthen its role as an advisor to society, which at the time was inundated with conflicting information originating both in Greece and abroad, which resulted in confusion and higher uncertainty.
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.