
The fraudulent schemes caused several Medici branches to be liquidated and sold off to other banks. The 380-page book explains how the Medici Bank experienced a period of decline between 14 due to shady and corrupt banking practices. De Roover’s book details that the Medicis’ reserves held less than 10% of deposits due to the family members’ managerial abilities. According to Raymond De Roover’s book “The Rise and Decline of the Medici Bank (1397-1494),” published in 1963, liquidity was an issue from the bank’s inception. Weights, the president of the Swiss Finance and Technology Association (SFTA), explained in a 2015 Linkedin post how the weight of “excessive lending” and “insufficient reserves” led to the bank’s ultimate demise. The Medici Bank was known to be one of the largest business enterprises during the Renaissance but ultimately failed after close to 100 years of operation. Baker, members of the House of Medici were extremely powerful. Morgan, Jacob Schiff, Paul Warburg, and George F.


Similar to bankers in the early 20th century like J.P. In the first five years of operation, the Medici Bank grew rapidly, and before the financial institution’s demise, it established branches all over Western Europe. One of the earliest known examples of fractional reserve banking was the Medici Bank, founded in Florence, Italy, in 1397 by Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici.

The practice of fractional reserve banking is essentially when a financial institution holds only a fraction of deposits in the bank, and the remaining funds are used to lend or invest in order to obtain a yield. The collapse of three major banks in mid-March 2023 has caused people to scrutinize the risks of fractional reserve banking. ‘Nothing New’- How the Medici Bank Failure Is Still Very Relevant to Today’s Modern Banking Practices It established its business and became one of the most respected banks in Europe during its prime, and the prominent Italian family of bankers were early adopters of fractional reserve banking, a practice that Medici Bank customers were unaware of, and that ultimately led to the financial institution’s failure. Amid the banking chaos of the 21st century, some are looking back more than 600 years ago, to the Medici Bank - one of the most powerful banks of its time.
