Ha, I love this! A bit more history from the Wikipedia article on banks:
> Benches were used as makeshift desks or exchange counters during the Renaissance by Florentine bankers
> Benches were used as makeshift desks or exchange counters during the Renaissance by Florentine bankers
According to wiktionary it comes from „banca rotta“ where rotta goes back to Latin „rumpere“ which means „to break“. Whereas the English rotten or the German go back to old Norse „rutna“ (to rot). The two don’t share the same root.