The purpose of this thread is to detail an idea that will potentially limit RMT by making readily available credit to players who wish to purchase something they do not have the funds to currently afford.
Here is the basic framework of the idea:
1. There exists a bank in game that can give out loans with interest.
2. Players must pay back their debt and interest (can be in installments) within a time frame determined by the size of the loan. Players who fail to pay back their loan will have any outstanding credit or items bought with credit (this includes dyes, armor, weapons, etc.) repossessed and held until the loan is paid back.
3. You cannot take out a loan until you have paid back your prior loan.
4. Credit effectively acts as a second currency on top of your gold. It cannot be traded, and items purchased with it cannot be traded, destroyed, or manipulated in any way to change their ownership until the loan is paid back (i.e you cannot put an item bought with unpaid credit in the mystic forge).
5. The amount of credit a character may take out is limited by their level + how many skillpoints they have. Thus, a level 1 character can only take out a loan for 1 gold. A level 80 with 200 spare skillpoints can take out a maximum loan of 280 gold.
6. Players can deposit money in their banks and generate money based on interest (the money must be in a bank for a long enough term).
7. Interest rates are determined by the state of the market, with input from ArenaNet’s resident economic adviser.
8. Failure to pay back loans within a certain time affects the user’s credit score and their ability to take out loans in the future.
I am open to other refinements and suggestions for this concept. It is not specific to Guild Wars 2, but more broadly a concept for future MMORPG’s. Please keep discussion polite.
