The finance curse identifies a paradox at the heart of financial sectors. While it is common to think of a finance centre as the engine of an economy, an oversized financial centre can make a country poorer and destabilise economies, and actually delivers a range of harms. For instance, oversized finance boosts inequality, undermines democracy and people’s faith in the rule of law. It damages national security. It corrupts markets, makes businesses more fragile, less resistant to shocks, and harms good governance. It also has powerful geographical, racial and gender effects.