银行运作机制解析——货币与信用：英语精读讲义

The international banking system is an enigma.

国际银行系统是一个谜。

There are more than 30,000 different banks worldwide

全球有超过3万家不同的银行，

and they hold unbelievable amounts of assets.

它们持有数额惊人的资产。

The top 10 banks alone

仅排名前十的银行，

account for roughly 25 trillion US dollars. 短語動詞

就占了大约25万亿美元。

Today, banking can seem very complex,

如今，银行业可能显得非常复杂，

but originally the idea was to make life simpler.

但最初的想法是为了让生活更简单。

11th century Italy was the center of European trading.

11世纪的意大利是欧洲贸易的中心。

Merchants from all over the continent

来自整个欧洲大陆的商人

met to trade their goods,

聚集在这里交易商品，

but there was one problem.

但有一个问题。

Too many currencies in circulation. 用詞

流通中的货币太多了。

In Pisa, merchants had to deal 短語動詞

在比萨，商人不得不处理

with seven different types of coins

七种不同类型的硬币，

and had to exchange their money constantly.

并且必须不断地兑换货币。

This exchange business,

这种兑换业务，

which commonly took place outdoors on benches,

通常在户外的长椅上进行，

is where we get the word bank from. 文化背景

也就是“bank”（银行）这个词的由来。

From the word banco,

源自“banco”这个词，

Italian for bench.

意大利语里“长椅”的意思。

The dangers of traveling,

旅行的危险、

counterfeit money,

假币，

and the difficulty of getting a loan

以及获得贷款的困难，

got people thinking. 語法

让人们开始思考。

It was time for a new business model. 語法

是时候建立一种新的商业模式了。

Pawnbrokers started to give credit to businessmen, 短語搭配

典当商开始向商人提供信贷，

while Genoese merchants developed cashless payments.

而热那亚商人则开发了无现金支付。

Networks of banks spread all over Europe,

银行网络遍布整个欧洲，

handing out credit even to the church 短語動詞

甚至向教会

or European kings.

或是欧洲国王提供信贷。

What about today?

那今天呢？

In a nutshell, 表達脈絡

简而言之，

banks are in the risk management business.

银行业从事的是风险管理业务。

This is a simplified version

这是一个简化版

of the way it works.

关于它的运作方式的说明。

People keep their money in banks

人们把钱存入银行

and receive a small amount of interest.

并获得少量的利息。

The bank takes this money

银行拿走这些钱，

and lends it out at much higher interest rates. 短語動詞

以高得多的利率贷出去。

It's a calculated risk 短語搭配

这是一个经过计算的风险，

because some of the lenders will default on their credit. 用詞

因为一些借款人会违约。

This process is essential for our economic system

这个过程对我们的经济体系至关重要，

because it provides resources for people to buy things like houses 語法

因为它为人们购买房屋等物品，

or for industries to expand their businesses and grow.

或为企业扩大业务和发展提供了资源。

So, banks take funds that are unused by savers

因此，银行吸收储户未使用的资金，

and turn them into funds society can use to do stuff. 短語動詞

并将其转化为社会可以用来做事的资金。

Other sources of income for banks

银行的其他收入来源

include accepting savings deposits,

包括吸收储蓄存款、

the credit card business,

信用卡业务、

buying and selling currencies,

买卖外汇、

custodian business,

托管业务，

and cash management services.

以及现金管理服务。

The main problem with banks nowadays

如今银行的主要问题是，

is that a lot of them have abandoned their traditional role

它们中的很多已经放弃了传统的角色，

as providers of long-term financial products

即长期金融产品提供者，

in favor of short-term gains that carry much higher risks. 短語搭配

转而追求风险更高、回报更快的短期收益。

During the financial boom,

在金融繁荣时期，

most major banks adopted financial constructs

大多数主要银行采用了几乎无法理解的

that were barely comprehensible

金融架构，

and did their own trading in a bid to make fast money 短語搭配

并为了赚快钱而进行自营交易，

and earn their executives and traders millions in bonuses.

从而让高管和交易员赚取数百万的奖金。

This was nothing short of gambling 習語

这简直就是赌博，

and damaged whole economies and societies,

并损害了整个经济体和社会，

like back in 2008,

就像2008年那样，

when banks like Lehman Brothers gave credit 文化背景

雷曼兄弟等银行把贷款发放给

to basically anyone who wanted to buy a house

基本上任何想买房的人，

and thereby put the bank in an extremely dangerous risk position.

从而将银行置于极其危险的风险境地。

This led to the collapse of the housing market 短語搭配

这导致了房地产市场的崩溃，

in the US and parts of Europe,

在美国和欧洲部分地区，

causing stock prices to plummet, 語法

导致股票价格暴跌，

which eventually led to a global banking crisis

最终引发了全球银行业危机，

and one of the largest financial crises in history.

也是历史上最大的金融危机之一。

Hundreds of billions of dollars just evaporated. 習語

数千亿美元就这样蒸发了。

Millions of people lost their jobs

数百万人失去了工作，

and lots of money.

损失了大量的金钱。

Most of the world's major banks had to pay billions in fines

世界上大多数主要银行不得不支付数十亿美元的罚款，

and bankers became some of the least trusted professionals.

而银行家成了最不被信任的职业之一。

The US government and the European Union

美国政府和欧盟

had to put together huge bailout packages 講解

不得不制定庞大的救市方案，

to purchase bad assets

用来购买不良资产，

and stop the banks from going bankrupt. 語法

并阻止银行破产。

New regulations were put into force 短語搭配

新的法规开始生效，

to govern the banking business.

以监管银行业务。

Compulsory bank emergency funds were enforced

强制实行了银行应急基金制度，

to absorb shocks in the event of another financial crisis. 講解

以在发生下一次金融危机时吸收冲击。

But other pieces of tough new legislation

但是其他严厉的新立法

were successfully blocked by the banking lobby.

却被银行游说团体成功阻挠了。

Today, other models of providing financing

如今，其他的融资模式

are gaining ground fast, 習語

正在迅速普及，

like new investment banks that charge a yearly fee

比如收取年费的新型投资银行，

and do not get commissions on sales, 用詞

且不收取销售佣金，

thus providing the motivation to act

从而有动力采取行动，

in the best interests of their clients. 短語搭配

以客户的最大利益为重。

Or credit unions, 文化背景

或者是信用合作社，

cooperative initiatives that were established in the 19th century

这是建立于19世纪的合作性组织，

to circumvent credit sharks.

为了避开高利贷者。

In a nutshell,

简而言之，

they provide the same financial services as banks,

它们提供与银行相同的金融服务，

but focus on shared value

但侧重于共享价值，

rather than profit maximization. 語法

而不是利润最大化。

The self-proclaimed goal is to help members create opportunities 用詞

它们自称的目标是帮助成员创造机会，

like starting small businesses,

比如创办小企业、

expanding farms,

扩建农场、

or building family homes

或建造家庭住房，

while investing back into communities. 短語搭配

同时再把资金投资回社区。

They are controlled by their members,

它们由成员控制，

who also elect the board of directors democratically.

成员还通过民主方式选举董事会。

Worldwide, credit union systems vary significantly,

在世界范围内，信用合作社体系差异很大，

ranging from a handful of members 語法

从只有少数成员，

to organizations worth several billion US dollars

到价值数十亿美元、

and hundreds of thousands of members.

拥有数十万成员的组织都有。

The focus on benefits for their members

注重为成员谋福利，

impacts the risk credit unions are willing to take,

影响了信用合作社愿意承担的风险，

which explains why credit unions,

这解释了为什么信用合作社，

although also hurting,

尽管也遭受了损失，

survived the last financial crisis

却在上一次金融危机中幸存了下来，

way better than traditional banks. 語法

且情况远好于传统银行。

Not to forget the explosion of crowdfunding 文化背景

还有不能忘记众筹的爆发式增长，

in recent years.

就发生在最近几年。

Aside from making awesome video games possible, 表達脈絡

除了让精彩的电子游戏成为可能之外，

platforms arose that enabled people to get loans 語法

还出现了允许人们获得贷款的平台，

from large groups of small investors,

这些贷款来自大量小投资者，

circumventing the bank as a middleman. 用詞

从而绕过了作为中间人的银行。

But it also works for industry.

但这对工业也适用。

Lots of new technology companies started out 短語動詞

许多新的科技公司起步于

on Kickstarter or Indiegogo.

Kickstarter或Indiegogo平台。

The funding individual gets the satisfaction

出资的个人获得了成就感，

of being part of a bigger thing

因为参与到了一件更大的事情中，

and can invest in ideas they believe in, 短語動詞

并可以投资于他们相信的理念，

while spreading the risk so widely 語法

同时将风险分散得很广，

that if the project fails,

即使项目失败了，

the damage is limited.

损失也很有限。

And last but not least, 表達脈絡

最后同样重要的是，

microcredit. 文化背景

小额信贷。

Lots of very small loans,

大量非常小的贷款，

mostly handed out in developing countries,

大多数在发展中国家发放，

that help people escape poverty.

帮助人们摆脱贫困。

People who were previously unable to get access

那些以前无法获得

to the money they needed to start a business

创业所需资金的人，

because they weren't deemed worth the time. 語法

是因为他们被认为不值得花时间。

Nowadays, the granting of microcredits

如今，小额信贷的发放

has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar business.

已经演变成一项价值数十亿美元的业务。

So, banking might not be up your street, 習語

因此，银行业可能不是你的菜，

but the bank's role of providing funds

但是银行提供资金的角色，

to people and businesses

无论是对个人还是对企业，

is crucial for our society

对我们的社会都至关重要，

and has to be done.

并且必须有人来做。

Who will do

谁来做

it and how it will be done in the future

以及未来将如何做，

is up for us to decide, though.

则是我们要决定的事了。