This compelling contribution to contemporary debates about the banking industry offers a unique perspective on its geographical and conceptual 'placement'. It traces the evolving links between the two, revealing how our notions of banking 'productiveness' have evolved alongside the shifting loci of banking activity. * An original contribution to the urgent debates taking place on banking sparked by the current economic crisis * Offers a unique perspective on the geographical and social concept of 'placement' of the banking industry * Combines theoretical approaches from political economy with contemporary literature on the performativity of economics * Details the globalization of Western banking, and analyzes how representations of