The increasing power of the financial industry in today’s economies has spatial fundamentals and important spatial consequences. This article examines the relevance of the social studies of finance (SSF), largely inspired by actor network theory (ANT) in this respect. Two critiques are made. First, SSF works are limited to the financial sphere and scarcely consider any connection with the rest of the economy. Second, their conception of space remains embryonic, if not entirely metaphorical. However, to understand and evaluate the effects of the financial industry requires that we take account of its spatial and historical contexts from the outset.