With the help of such historical figures as Aristotle, Henry VIII and Hath Christ Not Died for Thee Thou Wouldst Be Damned Barebone (honest!), Adam explains how these institutions arose and developed into the framework of our financial system.

Click on the links below to read his reports.

Adam goes back 6,000 years to trace the agricultural roots of interest and discovers why moral opposition to it continues today.

Issuing shares in a company is a relatively recent development - well, 16th century. Find out why coffee houses were the forerunners of today's stock exchanges.

The need for insurance arose from Britain's might as a shipping nation - now the insurance sector dwarfs the industry which spawned it.