Anshe Pays US$60,000 to Open Virtual Pawn Shop in Entropia

by Alphaville Herald on 03/05/07 at 8:35 pm

Land baron Anshe Chung expanded her empire today by winning one of five banking licenses in the wild and wooly virtual world of Entropia Universe, according to a late-breaking report from RCE Universe. Anshe paid PED600,000 (US$60,000, or more than L$16 million) for the right to make collateralized loans in Entropia, meaning any banks that open there will be little more than virtual pawn shops — for the moment. In announcing the auction, Entropia notes that “Should an interested party hold a real banking license in the real world, many more services and features can be added.” Will Deutsche Bank soon be getting inquiries from Anshe? And what about the cross-world arbitrage opportunities? A whole new world of virtual capitalism awaits! [More details on 3pointD.]
–Walker Spaight

9 Responses to “Anshe Pays US$60,000 to Open Virtual Pawn Shop in Entropia”

  1. Anshe Chung Hater

    May 4th, 2007

    Three words to Anshe Chung, Pink, Penis, Owned!

  2. urizenus

    May 4th, 2007

    Walker, I don’t understand the point about collateralized loans. Car loans and house loans are collateralized in that the collateral includes the car and the house respectively at a minimum. Who gives loans that aren’t collateralized? The other question is, from a theoretical point of view is there any difference between a pawn shop and a “respectable” bank other than one uses guitars and Rolexes as collateral and the other uses houses and real estate as collateral? In RL it doesn’t seem to be much more than a class distinction. Pawn shops loan to the poor and “respectable” banks lend to the middle class.

  3. Walker Spaight

    May 4th, 2007

    There’s a huge difference between a pawn shop and a bank. A bank fulfills *many* more functions than a pawn shop. The “banking” licenses just sold in Entropia do not create banks — although, as I note above, they create institutions that might one day become banks, or become more bank-like.

  4. urizenus

    May 4th, 2007

    Yes I undstand that a bank performs many more functions than a pawn shop. I just went to one in Toronto that hooked me up with a real estate agent (well, probably Anshe could cover that service) and they gave me checks and a credit card and free coffee. Nowadays they will also do things that aren’t really bank-like, creating investment accounts and all. But apart from checks and credit cards, its not clear what the big difference is. I mean time was all a bank did was keep your money in a safe. These Entropia businesses look more like limited service banks than pawn shops to me, unless people are hocking their virtual Rolexes and virtual Fender guitars.

  5. Prokofy Neva

    May 4th, 2007

    Walker, what means does one resident of Entropia, even with a banking license, have to confiscate a good from another resident such as to repo a car or house for an unpaid mortage? Do they have different permission systems there?

  6. Walker Spaight

    May 5th, 2007

    The goods are apparently put into a trust, Prok, where neither the bank nor the customer can use the item until the term of the loan has passed or the loans is paid back. Then it goes to one or the other depending on the situation. So yeah, looks like it’s built in. All handled thru NPCs too.

  7. Gaius Goodliffe

    May 5th, 2007

    “These Entropia businesses look more like limited service banks than pawn shops to me…”

    Yes, but that doesn’t make as good a headline. Accusing the SL Herald of “yellow journalism” would be missing the point of SL Herald. It’s an entertaining collective blog, it shouldn’t be regarded or expected to live up to any real journalistic standards, any more than the “newspapers” you can buy at the supermarket checkout aisle.

  8. Prokofy Neva

    May 5th, 2007

    >Yes, but that doesn’t make as good a headline. Accusing the SL Herald of “yellow journalism” would be missing the point of SL Herald. It’s an entertaining collective blog, it shouldn’t be regarded or expected to live up to any real journalistic standards, any more than the “newspapers” you can buy at the supermarket checkout aisle.

    I’m glad you have such a high and keen sense of what constitutes good or bad journalism, Gaius, and what’s appropriate to be used on this closed, synthetic, mysterious, authoritarian society we cover called “Second Life”.

    Given your very fine sense of what is appropriate journalism, I think you’ll have no trouble searching the vasty Internet and vastier Google and finding the publication about SL that is *right for you*.

  9. Nate Randall

    May 9th, 2007

    I apologize for coming into the discussiona bit late. The interesting thing to me with this story is the potential melding of Virtual Worlds. What if a currency transfer could be set up? How about those items that Anshe ends up with from Entropia being sold in a Second Life Boutique?

    The possibilities are there. The question is whether MindArk, the makers of Entropia Universe will be keen on the ideas.

    Nate Randall
    RCE Universe

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