Unusual banks of the world: a cheese bank in Italy

The famous Italian parmesan cheese is so valuable in Italy that some banks are willing to hold it as collateral for loans to local producers.

Unusual banks of the world: a cheese bank in Italy

Credito Emiliano

One such bank is Credito Emiliano. Its cheese vault contains more than 300,000 heads of cheese, weighing between 14 and 17 kg. Parmesan is one of the most expensive cheeses in the world, so it is not surprising that its amount here is estimated at almost 200 million euros.

Unusual Banks of the World: Cheese Bank in Italy

Credito Emiliano – bank

Cheese bank, at first glance, is almost no different from ordinary banks. Its territory is surrounded by wire and numerous surveillance cameras, and each storage room is equipped with a security tracking system. The only difference from a regular bank is that  you will not find gold and money in its vaults. The value of Parmesan is so high  that the bank has been robbed three times already.

Unusual Banks of the World: Cheese Bank in Italy

Credito Emiliano Cheese Bank

The idea of ​​a cheese bank is simple – cheese makers bring their cheese here as collateral, and he, in turn, gives them cheap loans to develop and maintain a business at a low interest rate – only 3 %.

Unusual Banks of the World: Cheese Bank in Italy

The Vault of Credito Emiliano 

This amazing mechanism promises a double benefit to cheese makers, because in addition to money, they do not worry at all about the process and proper conditions for ripening and storing cheese. Until the loan is repaid, Parmesan is fully ripe and ready for sale.

Unusual banks of the world: a cheese bank in Italy

Credito Emiliano is a cheese bank

If for some reason the loan is not repaid, the cheese bank can take care of itself selling cheese.

The purpose of such a bank is not only to make a profit at the expense of cheese producers, but also to support them in today's difficult business conditions.

Unusual Banks of the World: Cheese Bank in Italy

Cheese Parmesan

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