Third Venetia examines how the Republic of Venice designed trade institutions that captured the benefits of pre-modern global exchange while preserving political and economic sovereignty.

"The primary aim of the fóntego was not assimilation but containment. While foreign merchants were welcomed as contributors to the city’s economic vitality, they were kept structurally and legally separate from Venetian society. This regulated asymmetry served the Republic’s interest in controlling trade without conceding political or economic ground." https://radicaldose.com/venice-fonteghi-trade-policy/