Merchant Navy is a social policy in Civilization V. It is part of the Exploration tree and requires Naval Tradition and Maritime Infrastructure. The formal establishment of a Merchant Navy, that is, a fleet of dedicated trading vessels built according to the latest maritime innovations, can greatly boost a seafaring nation's wealth. Since the navy is supported by the merchants, it doesn't cost the state anything - on the contrary, it increases its wealth, alongside that of the merchants themselves! The greatest manifestation of that increase comes with the establishment of the East India Company, the nation's chief foreign trade institution, which attracts not only merchants, but also frugal engineers and even artists to its parent city.