Usury Capital, a form of capital characteristic of pre-capitalist formations. It brings profit to its owner as high interest. Usury capital emerged at the time of the disintegration of primitive communal society and emergence of the slaveholding state. Small independent producers as well as slaveowners and then the feudal lords received loans from usurers. Usury capital enhanced the luxury and parasitism of slaveowners and feudal lords, and ruined small producers. The interest consumed some of the necessary product as well as the entire surplus product of the serfs. The development of usury capital contributed to the emergence of the capitalist mode of production. On the one hand, it resulted in the ruin and proletarisation of small producers, who became hired workers; on the other, it led to the accumulation of money capital. Usury capital was the forerunner of loan capital which is the chief form of interestearning capital under capitalism. Usury capital continued to play a significant role in colonial and economically dependent countries, and still exists in the developing countries. Usury in the form of small high-interest loans also exists in developed capitalist countries, but is usually illegal.