Banco della Piazza di Rialto

The Banco della Piazza di Rialto, sometimes referred to as Banco di Rialto, was the first public bank of the Republic of Venice, operating on the eponymous Rialto Square. It was in activity from 1587 to 1637, when it succumbed to the competition from the Banco del Giro, a separate public institution that had been established in 1619.

The Banco della Piazza di Rialto was relatively short-lived, and was not the first public bank with features of an early central bank in Europe, a concept that was pioneered by the Taula de canvi de Barcelona in 1401 (even though proposals were made for such an entity in Venice in the 14th century). Even so, it had considerable influence in the development of European finance, and provided the direct model for the establishment of the Bank of Amsterdam in 1609.