Fugger and Welser were among the most significant trading houses of the 16th century—a time when new opportunities for European long-distance trade emerged due to the Portuguese expansion into Asia and the Spanish conquests in America. As early as 1505, both trading houses participated in a Portuguese voyage to India. Even more important was the role of the Augsburg trading houses as providers and intermediaries of global goods: they supplied copper and silver for European trade with Asia, marketed Asian spices in Europe, contributed to the establishment of the sugar plantation economy in the Atlantic region, traded in American pearls and Indian diamonds, and supplied mercury to Mexican silver mines. Based on newly discovered sources, Mark Häberlein systematically presents the role of the Fugger and Welser as 'global players' for the first time.