天津的金融業(yè)歷史悠久，明末清初，已是萌芽狀態(tài)，出現(xiàn)了錢局、錢鋪、爐房和典當(dāng)。
清代，天津通用的貨幣主要是銀兩和銅錢。隨著商業(yè)的發(fā)展，貿(mào)易往來增多，不同地區(qū)之間出現(xiàn)了頻繁的相互撥款。一些路途遙遠(yuǎn)，大批量的交易活動(dòng)，在貨幣交付中，使用的銀兩、銅錢極其沉重，不僅無法自行攜帶，而且路上也很不安全，只好委托 “鏢局”護(hù)送，既花費(fèi)很大，又不能保證交款時(shí)間，并且有相當(dāng)大的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。
乾隆、嘉慶年間，山西省平遙縣西達(dá)蒲村李家為股東，開設(shè)了西裕成顏料莊，總號(hào)設(shè)在平遙城內(nèi)西大街，資力雄厚，在天津、京師、漢口、成都等城市開設(shè)了分號(hào)，天津的分號(hào)設(shè)在針市街。
先后在漢口、京師、天津任過顏料分號(hào)經(jīng)理的雷履泰，在天津分號(hào)任經(jīng)理時(shí)，看到顏料莊每年去四川采購(gòu)一種叫 “銅綠”的顏料，大批銀兩需要委托 “鏢局”運(yùn)往四川，深覺這對(duì)顏料莊來說，是一種困擾。雷履泰便琢磨如何采用一種新的便捷辦法，他借鑒古代飛錢、便錢(或便換)的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，總結(jié)出一套較為完整的匯兌經(jīng)營(yíng)模式，用以解決兩地?fù)芨敦浛畹膯栴}。
雷履泰先與四川地方官府商妥，由西裕成顏料莊代替四川地方官府向朝廷交納應(yīng)該解往京城的地賦稅銀，換取收據(jù)； 然后帶著收據(jù)去四川采購(gòu)顏料時(shí)，用以兌換現(xiàn)銀； 在當(dāng)?shù)啬玫浆F(xiàn)銀后，再去購(gòu)貨。這樣就大為方便了，地方官府也免去解運(yùn)稅銀之勞，從而兩得其便。
后來，四川商人到天津、北京購(gòu)貨，也將現(xiàn)銀交給顏料莊在四川的分莊換取匯票，到天津后憑借匯票兌換現(xiàn)銀使用。顏料莊的這種匯兌業(yè)務(wù)逐漸發(fā)展起來，雖然從中收取一定的 “匯水” (即匯費(fèi)),但是比委托 “鏢局”押送現(xiàn)銀的花費(fèi)要節(jié)省很多，而且安全、方便。通過這種銀錢匯兌，不僅使顏料莊在幾年內(nèi)盈余數(shù)十萬兩銀子，并且在中國(guó)首創(chuàng)了匯兌業(yè)務(wù)。
雷履泰被調(diào)回平遙總號(hào)任經(jīng)理后，建議東家將顏料莊改為專營(yíng)銀兩匯兌和存放款業(yè)務(wù)的票號(hào)，經(jīng)東家李大全同意，投資30萬兩紋銀，于清道光三年(1823年),另一說是道光二年(1822年),正式成立了日升昌票號(hào)。所謂“日升昌” ,意在如日東升，生意昌盛。雷履泰出任總經(jīng)理(大掌柜)。日升昌是中國(guó)第一家票號(hào)，應(yīng)該說，天津是中國(guó)票號(hào)的發(fā)祥地。
票號(hào)的經(jīng)營(yíng)是以匯兌為主，所以采取分支連鎖制度，除在財(cái)東所在地設(shè)總號(hào)外，多在外地設(shè)立分號(hào)、聯(lián)號(hào)及一些代理店。日升昌票號(hào)成立后，很快在全國(guó)40余個(gè)大中城市設(shè)立了分號(hào)，票號(hào)業(yè)務(wù)搞得紅紅火火。

·山西平遙日升昌票號(hào)總號(hào)后院

天津開埠以后，錢業(yè)發(fā)展，各錢鋪多吸攬票號(hào)存款，以擴(kuò)充業(yè)務(wù)；埠際貿(mào)易也有賴票號(hào)為之調(diào)節(jié)，所以票號(hào)業(yè)務(wù)發(fā)展很快。光緒二十六年(1900)庚子事變前，天津的票號(hào)發(fā)展到鼎盛時(shí)期。光緒三十一年(1905)、三十二年(1906),天津有票號(hào)25家。日升昌，地址在針市街，東家是李五典、李五玉、李五庸、李五峰，這是日升昌票號(hào)的第三代財(cái)東。經(jīng)理是喬仰僑。
票號(hào)發(fā)展的鼎盛時(shí)期，也隱伏著危機(jī)的到來。1921年票號(hào)結(jié)束了在天津的歷史。
The history of finance in Tianjin can be traced backto the end of Ming Dynasty or the beginning of QingDynasty when there appeared cash bureaus,cash shopsand pawnshops.
In Qing Dynasty,currencies in Tianjin were mainlytaels and copper cash. With the development of businessand trade,there needed more frequent money transfer;but the traditional taels and copper cash were too heavyto carry in doing business.
During the reigns of Emperor Qianlong and EmperorJiaqing,a person whose family name is Li launched apigment shop "Xiyucheng" in the county seat of Pingyaoin Shanxi Province. Later,several branches of the shopwere opened in Tianjin,Beijing,Hankou and Chengdu. TheTianjin branch was located in the Zhenshi Street.
When Lei Lutai was the manager of the Tianjinbranch,he sent people to Sichuan Province to buya kind of pigment called "Copper Green" (patima)every year. He was disturbed by the inconvenienceof fetching large amount of money into Sichuan. Leiracked his brains and got a new method of moneytransfer by studying the past experiences.
Firstly,he reached consensus with the SichuanGovernment that Xiyucheng paid silver of taxation inadvance and got the warrant,which could be changed intotaels when he went to Sichuan for pigment purchase. Itturned out to be a win-win model for both sides.
Later,when Sichuan businessmen went to Tianjinand Beijing to buy goods,they gave taels to Xiyucheng`sSichuan Branch to exchange taels,through which theycould got money in Tianjin. The exchange business grewquickly with drawing some remittance fee,which wasmuch cheaper than the money paid for armed escorts andmuch safer and more convenient. By doing exchangebusiness,Xiyucheng accumulated hundreds of thousandsof taels of silver. This was the beginning of exchangebusiness in China.
When Lei Lutai was moved to Pingyao headquarter asthe manager,he suggested to his boss Li Daquan to changeXiyucheng from a pigment company into an exchangeshop,majoring in taels exchange and loan. Li agreed andinvested 300,000 taels to set up the Rishengchang in 1822(or 1823). Rishengchang means the rising sun,indicatinga prosperious business as a rising sun. Li served as thegeneral manager of the shop,which is regarded as the firstexchange shop in China. To some degree,Tianjin was thebirth place of exchange shops in China.
Money exchange was Rishengchang`s main business,which went smoothly. Besides of the headquarter,it alsoopened dozens of chain shops,joint shops or agencies.Within a short period,there were 40 branches of the shoparound the country.
After Tianjin was opened up as a treaty port,itsfinance business grew fast. Exchange shops competedeach other to get deposits for loaning. In 1900,before theoutbreak of the Gengzi Event,exchange shops` business inTianjin reached its peak. There were 25 exchange shops inTianjin. The Rishengchang was located at Zhenshi Street.Its third generation of shareholders were Li Wudian,LiWuyu,Li Wuyong and Li Wufeng. The general managerwas Qiao Yangqiao.
The prosperity of exchange shops also generated risks.In 1921,the development of exchange shops in Tianjincame to an end.