Indigenous Banking: Shroffs, Seths & Sahukars

The dharmic foundations of money lending and banking; Shroffs as money changers and bankers; the legendary Jagat Seths of Bengal who financed the Mughal Empire; ethical lending principles in Dharmasutras; interest rate guidelines; R. Vaidyanathan's research on indigenous financial systems

Lessons in this chapter

• Shroff: The Ancient Money Changers and Bankers — India's Original Financial Gatekeepers
• Sahukar: Dharmic Foundations of Money Lending — Ethics of Traditional Finance
• Jagat Seth: The Banker Who Financed Empires — India's Most Powerful Banker
• Kusida-Dharma: Interest Rate Ethics in Dharmasutras — Ancient Financial Regulations
• Vishwasya-Vyapara: Trust Networks in Indigenous Banking — The Power of Community Trust
• R. Vaidyanathan: Researching Indigenous Finance — Modern Scholar of Traditional Finance
• Relevance in 2026 and Beyond — Ancient Banking Wisdom for the AI-Fintech Era

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