Inspired by the current financial crisis, I'm trying to mould a new Connection regarding historical financial institutions. So far I've come up with these:
- Ping Yao: major banking centre for the whole of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries (held ca. 20 draft banks, among which is the Rishengchang, considered the first draft bank in China's history founded in 1823)
- Kutna Hora: the Italian Court held the Royal Mint to produce the Prague groschen, which was the basis for the coinage reform of King Wenceslaw II (1300)

More ideas?

Historical Centre of Bruges:

(from wikipedia)

"The First Stock Exchanges
(In 11th century France the courtiers de change were concerned with managing and regulating the debts of agricultural communities on behalf of the banks. As these men also traded in debts, they could be called the first brokers.)

Some stories suggest that the origins of the term "bourse" come from the Latin bursa meaning a bag because, in 13th century Bruges, the sign of a purse (or perhaps three purses), hung on the front of the house where merchants met.

.However, it is more likely that in the late 13th century commodity traders in Bruges gathered inside the house of a man called Van der Burse, and in 1309 they institutionalized this until now informal meeting and became the "Bruges Bourse". The idea spread quickly around Flanders and neighbouring counties and "Bourses" soon opened in Ghent and Amsterdam."

In short, I seem to recall learning at school that the word "bourse" (french for stock exchange, beurs in dutch) originated in Bruges.

Yes, identifying the iconic locations for the world's "economic" history is rather like doing so for those for its scientific history – it is difficult to find places where the remains link to the events.

However.

Mints
Clearly we would have to connect only to historically significant Mints. But I think there are a few
Mexico – Established in 1535 it was first in the Americas. Long moved from the original building to others - first in Mexico City and is now in San Luis Potosi (on Mexico's T List) but "Moneda" is a major street in the old city. Does anyone know what remains?
Paris –I fear that La Monnaie on the Quai Conti isn't actually within the inscribed area - the detailed map of the inscribed area still doesn't make it clear if the buildings on the south side of the Quai are included. Any views? The Mint has been at other locations too – "at the Palais de la Cité (City Palace), then on the right bank : in the Marais, at Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, then rue de la Monnaie." Of these I think only the Palais (Conciergerie) is within the inscribed boundaries – but are there any remains of the Mint there?
St Petersburg – The Peter and Paul fortress "Other structures inside the fortress include the still functioning mint building (constructed to Antonia Porta's designs under Emperor Paul)"

Banks.
Again there will be vast numbers within inscribed areas – we need to find the most historically significant
Florence – The HQ of the Medici Bank 1397-1494. A very significant Bank in European and world financial history. There are several buildings/palaces in Florence connected to the Medici but i haven't been able to establish which building (if any) would count as the "Institution". But I guess, in those days, "Banks" were not buildings to be "walked into"!!! Rather it was a trade performed both in the streets and behind closed doors - at the Via dell'Arte della Lana were the "bancos" or benches where Florentine bankers carried out their trade and from which the very word "Bank" came.
PS The nearby "Palazzo dell' Arte della Lana" was the guildhall of the Florentine wool merchants and could justify a connection to "textiles"

(Whether it is worth splitting Banks, Mints, Bourses etc depends I guess on how many of each is found within WHS!)

Vienna's historical bourse is within the WHS.