Money

All money in Star Trek: Evolution is measured in Latinum. You start with 1000 strips of Latinum. Latinum is used to buy new technology, sell existing items to other civilizations, etc. If you ever find yourself running extremely low on Latinum, you might be able to organize a loan. You have more chance of getting a loan if you ask the leader of your race. It also helps if your race points are above 0.

Note that race leaders start with a higher amount of money. They also have access to the race treasury, although this can generally only be used for things that benefit the race, such as new colonies and ships.