Loan
A loan is a way to borrow money from the civilian population. An avatar can take a loan up to its credit limit, which is dependent on the avatar's reputation.
There is no interest rate and no penalty for not paying back a loan. The current account balance shown on the Gear (F4) window is however displayed in red while money is owed.
Taking a loan can serve many uses, such as purchasing equipment, a company spacecraft, or even boosting technology research funds.
Credit limit
The credit limit for an avatar dependent on its reputation.
The exact math is:
credit limit = (reputation + 0.5) * 100'000
This means that with a reputation of 0, it is still possible to loan up to 50'000¢. But if the reputation is negative, it is not possible to make a loan at all.
Bank Money
Banks loan money from the citizen accounts of a city. This means that there is almost always money available to make a loan, since the citizen accounts are rarely ever empty.
An amount is held in reserve, so the citizens don't go bankrupt.
reserved amount = (population x 1000) + 1000
They will loan whatever remains after that.
Taking a Loan
A loan must be made at a bank, and the city's citizen accounts must hold enough money.
