Research Reveals Britain's Financial System Embedded in Slave Trade

Historians have uncovered a significant link between the Bank of England and the transatlantic slave trade. Research on Britain's slavery history has found that dozens of Bank of England directors and founding subscribers invested in the trafficking of enslaved Africans. This involvement was deeply embedded in the British financial system, with the scale of the enslavement being greater than previously known or acknowledged. The central bank, owned by the government since nationalisation in 1946, had financiers involved in its foundation who were also significant investors in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans. This new research is part of the Register of British Slave Traders, a compilation of historians working to document Britain's slavery history. The findings shed light on the extent of the financial system's involvement in the enslavement of millions of African people. The research highlights the need for a more accurate understanding of Britain's past and its ongoing impact on society today.