Επιτομή:
The economy is the catalyst for shaping living conditions at all levels in order to contribute to the definition of the concept of historicity and the evolution of human civilization. We will carry out a simple, but not simplistic analysis in order to highlight one of the most basic mechanisms of the market, the banking system. The formation and evolution of banks is the result of specific mechanisms as well as specific institutional factors. Adequate explanation of these mechanisms is the main goal. At the same time, an effort will be made to show the importance of social institutions for the operation of banks in the context of the economy.
From time immemorial, people, in order to meet their needs with goods that they could not produce themselves, have engaged in the exchange, that is, in the exchange of things for the sake of things. This process, however, presented great difficulties in order to overcome them with the use of money, which divided the exchange into sale and purchase, that is, turned the exchanges into transactions. From a very early age in developed economies, such as ancient Athens, the state itself undertook the minting of coins, so that there was a fixed amount of gold or silver in each currency and assurance of the value of the currency. The island of Rhodes during its long period of prosperity was the absolute ambassador of the banking system of its time. Therefore, with the evolution of culture and the proliferation of human activities, banks emerged as companies with the main activity of intermediation in the money market, that is, where money is demanded and offered.
Commercial banks, also called credit institutions, accept cash deposits and at the same time grant cash in the form of loans. In general, commercial banks seek to maximize profits and at the same time minimize the risk they take. On the other hand, the Editorial Bank or Central Bank is the one created by the state with the aim of intervening in the economy (monetary and credit policy). In our country, the Bank of Greece has this role. Money and the money market are extremely important factors in the functioning of the economy. The Central Bank has a decisive role in the operation of the money market and especially in the money supply. The bank's intervention in the money market is mainly done by determining the percentage of cash, open market policy and the discount rate.
In any case, the economy is not stagnant. Banks make the state a strong collective entity, which seeks to achieve and maintain economic prosperity and social balance.
