But the court wanted to make clear it hadn't issued a blank cheque for future bailouts.

BBC: Berlin gets greater power over bailouts

In the mid-1980s, when MasterCard entered the market, the clearing system between banks in different cities was (and is) almost non-existent: a cheque could take up to a month to clear, and many sellers would not release goods until it did.

ECONOMIST: Who��d have credited it?