DACS
The Distributed Asset Control System, or DACS, is a version-controlled banking system that has been in service throughout the majority of the interstellar era, since the foundation of the Solar Liberty Coalition. Its concept is that there is no single banking entity that controls user accounts and the storage of funds; since currency is no longer a solid thing, it is more important than ever that careful monitoring be in place in the event that illicit transfers take place. It works by having several DACS nodes present throughout most corners of known space, and every single one of these nodes is in constant contact with the others via Extranet.
Because of the distances involved between DACS nodes, communication cannot be instantaneous, so through proprietary means, a DACS node will authorize any deposits, withdrawals, or transfers of money and liquid assets between accounts, without needing to contact a central DACS server. Once the individual node has authorized the transaction, it will communicate said authorization to the other nodes, propogating the changes across the DACS network with a sophisticated version-control system. Generally, the purchaser must be in the presence of a DACS node - typically a starbase, planet, or Coalition capital ship - in order to handle any kind of purchase or account transfer. Online purchases can still be undertaken under DACS if the purchaser is not near a node, but the signal must be sent via Extranet.
A DACS account is tied to a user's specific physical makeup (genes, DNA, mental mapping, etc), so it is generally not possible for a user to access another user's account without the other person being present to allow permission. The DACS system has been credited with dropping the incidence of muggings and physical robbery significantly, but because authorization simply requires the person's physical makeup to be present, small groups of career criminals have made a significant industry out of laundering money through people. Typically, this is done by offering said person a cut of the money being transferred, but SLC have noted at least one report of a pirate stronghold serving as a "human bank," where rich abductees are kept "on ice" so that their accounts may be preserved and accessed at will.
Should a DACS user be killed, their account and assets are foreclosed and impounded by the authorities in charge of the nearest DACS node...assuming that they aren't liquidated by someone first.
