Uncovering private credit markets: Amsterdam, 1660-1809

Abstract

Credit markets contribute to economic development when they allocate capital through secure and enforceable contracts. Surprisingly little is known, however, about what these markets looked like and how they functioned in the Dutch Republic. By analysing three archival collections from Amsterdam this article attempts to fill this lacuna. It documents a large and developed non-intermediated credit market that relied on standardised loan forms. These forms were cast in the correct legal terms, could be purchased across the city, and cost little. Where people's own networks did not suffice to mobilise funds, moreover, brokers stood ready to link demand and supply. This shows that pre-industrial societies could successfully mobilise large amounts of credit even where banks were absent.