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In 1472, twenty years before Columbus set foot in America, the city of Siena founded a "mount of piety": a public fund that lent money to the poor at low interest, taking their clothes or tools as collateral, to free them from loan sharks. That institution is still open today. It's called Monte dei Paschi di Siena, and it is the oldest bank in the world still in business.
The name hides another story: in 1624 the city backed the bank with the income from the pastures — the paschi — of the Tuscan Maremma. Literally, a bank guaranteed by meadows and sheep.
It has survived plagues, wars, unifications and more than one modern bailout — the last few decades have proved harder than the first five hundred years. And there it stands: lending money since before Europe knew America existed.