Banks act as intermediaries between those with funds and those who seek funds for economic enterprises. They are a source of credit and capital investment, and their economic value is clear. Less is known about the role of social connections in the establishment of banks. Using data from 19th-century South Africa, we study the establishment of colonial banks and their shareholder profile. We show, using network analysis, that family connections and influential individuals were crucial to the establishment of these banks. This research opens new lines of inquiry into how these network structures may have influenced the success of these ventures as well.

中文翻译：

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家庭银行业务：家庭在 19 世纪南非银行建立过程中的作用是什么？

银行充当着资金者和为经济企业寻求资金者之间的中介。它们是信贷和资本投资的来源，其经济价值是显而易见的。人们对社会关系在建立银行中的作用知之甚少。我们使用 19 世纪南非的数据，研究了殖民银行的建立及其股东概况。我们使用网络分析表明，家庭关系和有影响力的个人对这些银行的建立至关重要。这项研究为这些网络结构如何影响这些企业的成功开辟了新的探索之路。