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by chiefalchemist 1276 days ago
Would you know if the Templars charged interest? On the other hand, I believe I've read somewhere The Koran forbids charging interest. But perhaps I am mistaken?
2 comments

They are also historically credited with inventing usury, so presumably yes. This describes the situation fairly accurately: https://thetemplarknight.com/2010/12/22/templar-usury/

Essentially, the Roman Catholic Church turned a blind eye to the Templars usury, largely because of the value provided by the Templars in enabling an endless stream of warriors for Christendom. They did set some arbitrary limits on the amounts that were permissible, but didn't have much in the way of methods of auditing or enforcement.

Surely they didn’t invent ursury if it was already forbidden by mosaic law?
Note that the article does not discuss loans, per se (although, the Templars also got involved in that). It is more an international money transfer and currency exchange service. No doubt, the Templars charged hefty fees for their services, but they did not class any of it as interest as usury was definitely considered a sin for Christians at the time (as it still is in Islam).