It's how it worked in the 16th century when the Italian merchants began issuing Bills of Exchange which meant you no longer had to transport large chests of coi

It's how it worked in the 16th century when the Italian merchants began issuing Bills of Exchange which meant you no longer had to transport large chests of coins across dangerous territory. The Dutch later picked up on the idea and ran with it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_history_of_the_Dutch_Republic#The_Wisselbanken http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_history_of_the_Dutch_...