Earlier this week the news from the Aranock Monetary Fund about current economic developments was quite alarming. Unemployment has gone up and has yet to reach it’s height. Many bankruptcies are imminent, and with closed borders, slow production and little trade it all seems gloom and doom.

Gina, a local store owner: “I have seen my sales go down to less than 20%. And yet my overheads, rent, and so on, are still the same. I had money saved for an extension of my shop. That money is almost gone now, due to this crisis. I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this!?”.

Elite temple guard Tom: “It’s vital that there are enough guards in temple to handle security properly. When confronted with a riot, several people might storm in. There is not much you can do with 1 or 2 guards, right? And yet I hear even my job isn’t safe. One of us might be laid off by the end of the month. I understand that we have less paying visitors but laying off one of us isn’t the answer. Besides, we have our own bills too…”.

Lordlava, director of the Temple of Aranock, has assured that “the last thing we want is to lay people off. We are doing all we can to cut costs. We might even change the candles for LED lights. Let’s hope we get more visitors soon.”

LazyWarrior, president of the First Bank of Aranock, has released exciting news. As of today, interest rates on items stored in the bank depot have been reduced to zero. For entrepreneurs loan rates have been reduced to 1.6% but it is hard to find anyone willing to invest.

LazyWarrior: “The Corona Crisis has hit the economy hard. We hear stories every day, people who lost their jobs, shops without customers. They are heartbreaking.
We had to do something to help them out. Now everyone can use their depot free of charge. And no chance of items getting forfeited due to a too low bank balance.
We also have to help those shopkeepers. Aranock wouldn’t be the same without these shops!”

When asked about the future, LazyWarrior was very hopeful: “For the near future, depot charges will remain zero. The bank still has a strong buffer. I will not say ‘never’, my laywers prevent me to use those words, but feel free to use the depot unlimited. You will be fine.”