But I thought that contracts below normal prices was closely watched by the admins.
Yes, but that doesn't excuse making more work for them.
New players get 600,000 caps and a whole bunch of materials. Free. Zero interest. The idea that they "need" a loan is a rather arbitrary distinction, since size is relative. Giving them more money (via starting funds or a loan) would enable growth more quickly, but because of that players would get to large and gigantic sizes faster too. It's a net wash.
On the other hand, 10% interest is a tough amount to meet (and not by accident). If you opened up loans to newer players, many wouldn't realize how crippling it is. They aren't necessarily in the most profitable businesses, and very likely could be getting
less than 10% ROIC. (Return on invested capital.) That means they're losing money every day they keep the loan out, but might not know it. You'd be setting them up to fail.
That's why it's restricted to higher-level players. The game is rather friendly in that it's pretty hard to lose money. (Unlike the real world.) Making loans easier would work against that. (On top of which, the cheating thing. . .)
By the way, if any new players would like a jump, just buy some coins and sell them to other players. At the current rate (which continues to rise), you can get 9 million caps for 2 Euros. That is a month or two of time as a small business, that you're jumping past for a tiny investment. (And bear in mind the largest companies have been smart about purchasing coins from the day the realm opened up.)[/shill]