Industry WIKI

The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA; Italian: Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica; Latin: Administratio Patrimonii Sedis Apostolicae) is the office of the Roman Curia that deals with the "provisions owned by the Holy See in order to provide the funds necessary for the Roman Curia to function". It was established by Pope Paul VI on 15 August 196

Aid to the Church in Need (German: Kirche in Not, Italian: Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre, French: Aide à l'Eglise en détresse, Latin : Auxilium Patienti Ecclesiae) is an international Catholic pastoral aid organization, which yearly offers financial support to more than 5,000 projects worldwide.

An alternative financial service (AFS) is a financial service provided outside traditional banking institutions, on which many low-income individuals depend. In developing countries, these services often take the form of microfinance. In developed countries, the services may be similar to those provided by banks and include payday loans, rent-to-own agreements, pawnshops, refund anticipa

Annates ( or ; Latin: annatae, from annus, "year") were a payment from the recipient of an ecclesiastical benefice to the collating authorities. Eventually, they consisted of half or the whole of the first year's profits of a benefice; after the appropriation of the right of collation by the Roman see, they were paid to the papal treasury, ostensibly as a proffered contribution to the ch

The Baltic Exchange (incorporated as The Baltic Exchange Limited) is a British financial services company and membership organisation for the maritime industry, and freight market information provider for the trading and settlement of chartering and derivative contracts.

Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London. It was one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member of the German–British Baring family of merchants and bankers.

Barneys New York is an American luxury department store founded in 1923 by Barney Pressman. It introduced many major brands to the American market including Armani, Azzedine Alaïa, Comme des Garçons, Christian Louboutin, and Zegna.

A benefice () or living is a reward received, usually in exchange for (or as a consequence of) services rendered; such payment also operates as a retainer to help ensure the delivery of such services, or fulfilment of the duties of the relevant office, into the future. The term is still used, although the substance of benefices has recently changed, in many historical parishes and positi

Beryozka, or Beriozka, (Russian: Берёзка, lit. "little birch") was the common name of two chains of state-run retail stores in the Soviet Union that sold goods in exchange for foreign currency. Beriozkas sold luxury goods such as chocolate and caviar that were often unavailable or unaffordable in traditional Soviet markets and shops. Beryozka stores existed between 1964 and 1990, up to

Brick and mortar (sometimes B&M; commonly bricks and mortar in British English) is an organization or business with a physical presence in a building or other structure. The term brick-and-mortar business is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases retail shops, factory production facilities, or warehouses for its operations. More specifically, in the jargon of e-commerc

Broederlijk Delen is a Flemish aid and development agency, which specializes in trying to improve the living conditions of rural communities in Africa and Latin America.

Cathedraticum (a Latin word from cathedra, episcopal seat or throne) is a specified sum of money to be paid annually toward a bishop. It is a mark of honour and a sign of subjection to the cathedral church, from which its name is derived.

The City of London (informally known as the City or the Square Mile) is a city, ceremonial county and local government district in England. Established by the Romans around 47 AD as Londinium, it forms the historic centre of the wider London metropolis. Surrounded by the modern ceremonial county of Greater London, the City is a unique local authority area governed by the City of London C

The contractus trinus, contractus triplex, or simply triple contract, is a set of contracts used by European bankers and merchants in the Middle Ages, notably by the Fugger family, as a method of circumventing the canon law prohibition of usury.

The Curiel family (Dutch: Curiël or also known as: da Costa) is a prominent Sephardi Jewish family.

CWM FX was a foreign exchange trading firm located at the Heron Tower at 110 Bishopsgate, otherwise known as Salesforce Tower. Dealing at the firm was suspended in March 2015 following a police raid on the firm and 13 arrests. There have been no convictions relating to these arrests as of 15 June 2015. CEO Anthony Constantinou was convicted in 2016 of sexual assault and sentenced to serv

Electronics for Imaging, Inc. (EFI) is an international company based in Silicon Valley that specializes in digital printing technology.

Exchange Alley or Change Alley is a narrow alleyway connecting shops and coffeehouses in an old neighbourhood of the City of London. It served as a convenient shortcut from the Royal Exchange on Cornhill to the Post Office on Lombard Street and remains as one of a number of alleys linking the two streets. Shops once located in Exchange Alley included ship chandlers, makers of navigation

FAO Schwarz is an American toy brand and retail chain. The company features high-end toys, toys exclusive to them, life-sized stuffed animals, interactive experiences, brand integrations, and games.

Financial thrillers are a subgenre of thriller fiction in which the financial system and economy play a major role.

Flying Tiger Copenhagen (formerly Tiger until 2016) is a Danish variety store chain. Its first shop opened in Copenhagen in 1995, and the chain now (as of 2026) operates +1,100 shops across 46 countries. Flying Tiger's name derives from similarities between the Danish pronunciation of the animal name tiger (IPA: [ˈtsʰiːɐ]) and the Danish word tier (IPA: [ˈtsʰiˀɐ]), used to denote a 10 kr

Gina Nadira Miller (née Singh; born 19 April 1965) is a Guyanese-British business owner and activist who initiated the 2016 R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union court case against the British government over its authority to implement Brexit without approval from Parliament. In September 2019, she successfully challenged the government's prorogation of Parliame

The Halifax Initiative is a coalition of Canadian non-governmental organizations for public interest work and education on international financial institutions. Canadian non-governmental organizations formed the Halifax Initiative in December 1994 to ensure that demands for fundamental reform of the international financial institutions (namely the World Bank and the International Monetar

Hop Fastpass is a contactless smart card for public transit fare payment on most transit modes in the Portland metropolitan area including MAX Light Rail, WES commuter rail, Portland Streetcar, The Vine, and all TriMet and C-TRAN buses. An initial release to the general public began on July 5, 2017, with the official launch on July 17. The program is managed by TriMet.

HSBC Holdings plc (Chinese: 滙豐; lit. 'focus of wealth') is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business links to East Asia and a multinational footprint. According to S&P Global's April 2026 report, HSBC is Europe's second-largest bank by assets, with $3.212 trillion in assets. This also puts it as the eighth-largest

In canon law, commenda (or in commendam) was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron. The phrase in commendam was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastical benefice, which was temporarily without an actual occupant, in contrast to the conferral of a title, in titulum, which was applied to the regular and unconditi

In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (Latin: indulgentia, from indulgeo, 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins". The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is du

Lombard Street () is a street notable for its connections with the City of London's merchant, banking and insurance industries, stretching back to medieval times.

In the Catholic Church, a Mass stipend is a donation given by the laity to a priest for celebrating a Mass for a particular intention. Despite the name, it is considered as a gift or offering (Latin: stips) freely given rather than a payment (Latin: stipendium) as such.

A mense (from Latin mensa 'table') is the name of a form of ecclesiastical income in the Catholic Church. Historically, the mense was a land tax that was used as income for its holder (i.e. bishop, abbot, canons or monks, pastor, etc.). In an abbey this support was called the In commendam and was divided into three lots, one for the commendatory abbot, one for the religious community a

The Morgan family is an American family and banking dynasty, which became prominent in the U.S. and throughout the world in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Members of the family amassed an immense fortune over the generations, primarily through the entrepreneurship of Junius Spencer (J. S.) Morgan (1813–1890) and John Pierpont (J. P.) Morgan Sr. (1837–1913).

Neiman Marcus is an American upmarket department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. The chain has been owned by the New York City–based Exemplar Luxury Group since 2024. Previously, it was part of the Neiman Marcus Group, and prior to that, Carter Hawley Hale Stores.

The institution of the pacht or pacht-stelsel (revenue farm, pl. pachten) was a system of tax farming in the Dutch Republic and its colonial empire. In this system tax is not collected by the government, but by a private individual who has leased the right to collect the tax. In the Dutch Republic, for example, this was common practise for a long time, especially for indirect taxes. Each

A pawnbroker is an individual who offers secured loans to people by taking items of personal property as collateral. A pawnbrokering entity is called a pawnshop or pawnbrokerage. While many items can be pawned, pawnshops typically accept jewelry, musical instruments, coins, gold, silver and firearms. Home-audio equipment, computers, video-game systems, televisions, cameras, and power t

Peter's Pence (or Denarii Sancti Petri and "Alms of St Peter") are donations or payments made directly to the Holy See of the Catholic Church. The practice began under the Saxons in England and spread through Europe. Both before and after the Norman Conquest the practice varied by time and place: initially, it was given as a pious contribution, whereas later it was required by various ru

Pewex (Polish pronunciation: [ˈpɛvɛks]; short for Przedsiębiorstwo Eksportu Wewnętrznego, lit. 'Internal Export Company') was a chain of hard-currency shops founded in 1972, during the Communist era in Poland that accepted payment only in the United States dollar and other hard currencies, instead of the country's indigenous currency, the złoty.

Playdom, Inc. was an online social network game developer popular on Facebook, Google+ and Myspace. The company was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area by University of California, Berkeley graduates Ling Xiao and Chris Wang and Swarthmore College graduate Dan Yue. In 2009, the market for games played on social networking sites was valued at $300 million, consisting mostly of online sa

Powa Technologies was a UK-based technology company, known for its commerce, mobile commerce and e-commerce services.

The Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See was a dicastery of the Roman Curia, erected on 15 August 1967, and entrusted with overseeing all the offices of the Holy See that managed finances, regardless of their degree of autonomy.

Record sales or music sales are activities related to selling music recordings (albums, singles, or music videos) through physical record shops or digital music stores. Record sales reached their peak in 1999, when 600 million people spent an average of $64 on records, achieving $40 billion in sales of recorded music.

Rothschild loans to the Holy See refers to a series of major financial loans arranged between the Rothschild family and the Holy See of the Catholic Church. The first loan, which occurred in 1832, took place in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars during the pontificate of Pope Gregory XVI (involving James Mayer de Rothschild and Carl Mayer von Rothschild). This loan agreed on was for a

The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, better known by its acronym SCIAF, is the official aid and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Established in 1965, SCIAF now works in eight countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America and providing assistance to vulnerable people. SCIAF works with partner organisations and has responded to humanitarian disasters with e

The Secretariat for the Economy (Italian: Segreteria per l'economia) is a department of the Roman Curia with authority over all economic activities of the Holy See and the Vatican City State.

See's Candy Shops, Inc., doing business as See's Candies, is an American manufacturer and distributor of candy, particularly chocolates. It was founded by Charles See, his wife Florence, and his mother Mary in Los Angeles in 1921. The company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. See's kitchens are located at its headquarters and are also maintained at its original factory

Shared Interest Society Limited is a fair trade financial co-operative based in the United Kingdom formed in 1990. Today it provides credit and financial services to fair trade producers, retailers, importers and exporters throughout the world. Shared Interest works with both Fairtrade International (formerly known as Fairtrade Labelling Organizations or FLO) and the World Fair Trade Org

The Special Administration of the Holy See (Italian: Amministrazione Speciale della Santa Sede, nicknamed La Speciale, abbreviated ASSS) was a dicastery of the Roman Curia from 1929 to 1967. It was established motu proprio by Pope Pius XI on 7 June 1929 to manage the ₤750 million in cash and 1,000 million in Italian government bonds transferred to the Holy See in implementation of the Fi

The Student Initiative Rahel (German: Rahel-Bildungsprojekt) was a project of the Institute for World Church and Mission (IWM, German: Institut für Weltkirche und Mission), which is part of the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen. The nonprofit project started in 2010 and collected money until 2017, financing scholarships for disadvantaged

Torgsin (Russian: Торгсин) were state-run hard-currency shops that operated in the USSR between 1931 and 1936. Their name was an acronym of the phrase torgovlia s inostrantsami (Russian: торговля с иностранцами), "trade with foreigners". Unlike the later Beryozka stores, Torgsin stores were open to all Soviet citizens, provided they paid with hard currency, gold, or jewels. Initially, To

TP ICAP Group plc is a financial services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its stock is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

Trusted Shops is a company founded in Cologne, Germany, in 1999, which offers online shops and their customers trust-building services by means of a trustmark, a money-back guarantee process and a system of customer reviews. Online retailers are also provided with assistance in meeting legal requirements. Around 25,000 online shops display the trustmark as of July 2019.

Tuzex was a series of state-run shops in Czechoslovakia from 1957 to 1992 which did not accept normal Czechoslovak koruna currency but only vouchers (bony) which could be purchased from banks using foreign currency. They supplied luxury items: local goods in short supply and in particular foreign goods. The Tuzex vouchers were effectively an unofficial parallel currency.

United Kingdom insolvency law regulates companies in the United Kingdom which are unable to repay their debts. While UK bankruptcy law concerns the rules for natural persons, the term insolvency is generally used for companies formed under the Companies Act 2006. Insolvency means being unable to pay debts. Since the Cork Report of 1982, the modern policy of UK insolvency law has been to

Vix pervenit (lit. 'It has hardly reached') is an encyclical, promulgated by Pope Benedict XIV on 1 November 1745, which condemned the practice of charging interest on loans as usury. Because the encyclical was addressed to the bishops of Italy, it is generally not considered ex cathedra. The Holy Office applied the encyclical to the whole of the Roman Catholic Church on 29 July 1836, du

Waterstones Booksellers Limited, trading as Waterstones (formerly Waterstone's), is a British book retailer based in London, United Kingdom, owned by the American investment group Elliott Investment Management. As of 2025, it operates 316 shops, mainly in the United Kingdom and other nearby countries. As of 2024 it employed over 3,600 staff in Britain and Europe. The average Waterstones

The World Branding Forum is a global nonprofit organisation based in London, England. The forum runs various programmes and organises conference, workshops and seminars. It operates a newsroom and publishes industry news on its website. It is also a media partner for various industry events. The forum's industry recognition programme is the World Branding Awards, which it organises annua

The Yankee Candle Company, Inc., doing business as Yankee Candle, is an American manufacturer and retailer of scented candles, candleholders, accessories, and dinnerware. Its products are sold by thousands of gift shops nationwide, through catalogs, and online, and in nearly 50 countries around the world. The company currently operates 217 small-box format stores, located in malls across