History of banking in Malta

Banking emerged in primitive form through deposit-taking and money-changing activities, with temples and merchants in Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome receiving deposits, issuing loans, and facilitating currency exchange to support trade and agriculture. The Middle Ages and Renaissance saw the organisation and commercialisation of banking, particularly in Italian city-states such as Florence and Venice, where merchant banks developed innovations like bills of exchange and branch networks to finance long-distance trade.

Source: Wikipedia — History of banking in Malta (CC BY-SA 4.0)