[photochemsyn]

The actual title of this article is "The warrior monks who invented banking", but there is a fairly extensive literature on Roman banking dating back at least 1000 years previously:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_finance

In particular, the Sulpicii of Puteoli left some records of what look like modern banking practices:

https://www.world-archaeology.com/books/bankers-of-puteoli-t...

> "Much of the business of the Sulpicii consisted of short term loans, of amounts ranging from £1,000 to £20,000 and for periods of up to a month – for the sake of simplicity, I am reckoning a sesterce as being the equivalent of £1. A number of loans took place at auction sales – for these were a large part of the activity of a Roman forum – a Roman forum must have been very much like e-Bay. A banking house would manage the auction and supply immediate payment to the vendor, but would allow the purchaser several days to pay; if more time was needed, this could be provided at a cost."