A person or organization that provides money or funding for a project, business, or venture; a financial backer.
From finance (from Old French finance, 'payment,' from finer 'to pay') plus -er (one who does). An older form of 'financier,' used primarily in historical or legal contexts.
Medieval 'financers' were essentially moneylenders who became so powerful they eventually controlled kings—a reminder that whoever controls money controls power, even if they don't hold official titles.
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