“If this experiment includes the opening of an ING-managed virtual bank in Second Life, it could have important repercussions. Banking in SL has been a Wild West affair until now, plagued by pyramid schemes and promises of astronomical interest rates. Having an already trustworthy entity open a working bank in Second Life would actually cause deep ripples in the economy there, as the bank would no doubt start making loans and immediately increase the velocity of money on the Grid, which would probably lead to higher prices for various goods and services — something that’s arguably been a long time coming.”