With Markus Brunnermeier. March 2019. PDF. In Antonio Fatás, editor, The Economics of Fintech and Digital Currencies, VoxEU book, London. We address five key concerns that are frequently put forward: 1. Aren’t digital currencies just a hype, now that crypto ‘currencies’ like Bitcoin have proved too volatile and expensive to serve as reliable stores of value or mediums of exchange? This confuses things. A central bank digital currency (CBDC) is like cash, only digital; Alipay, Apple Pay,...
Read More »Private vs. Public Money
The slides (PDF) of a recent presentation of mine at a round table on the future of finance.
Read More »Private vs. Public Money
The slides (PDF) of a recent presentation of mine at a round table on the future of finance.
Read More »“On the Equivalence of Private and Public Money,” Mimeo, 2019
Mimeo, January 2019, with Markus Brunnermeier. PDF. We propose a generic model of money and liquidity. We provide sufficient conditions under which a swap of private (inside) against public (outside) money leaves the equilibrium allocation and price system unchanged. We apply the results to Central Bank Digital Currency, the “Chicago Plan,” and the Indian de-monetization experiment.
Read More »“On the Equivalence of Private and Public Money,” Mimeo, 2019
Mimeo, January 2019, with Markus Brunnermeier. PDF. We propose a generic model of money and liquidity. We provide sufficient conditions under which a swap of private (inside) against public (outside) money leaves the equilibrium allocation and price system unchanged. We apply the results to Central Bank Digital Currency, the “Chicago Plan,” and the Indian de-monetization experiment.
Read More »“Central Bank Digital Currency: What Difference Does It Make?,” SUERF, 2018
December 2018. PDF. In: Ernest Gnan and Donato Masciandaro, editors, Do We Need Central Bank Digital Currency? Economics, Technology and Institutions, SUERF, The European Money and Finance Forum, Vienna, 2018. A short version of the CEPR working paper.
Read More »“Central Bank Digital Currency: What Difference Does It Make?,” SUERF, 2018
December 2018. PDF. In: Ernest Gnan and Donato Masciandaro, editors, Do We Need Central Bank Digital Currency? Economics, Technology and Institutions, SUERF, The European Money and Finance Forum, Vienna, 2018. A short version of the CEPR working paper.
Read More »TIPS Goes Online
The ECB launches its Target Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) system, which facilitates instant money transfers between banks and allows end users connected to those banks to make instant retail payments across the Euro zone. Report in the FAZ. Last year’s report by Mehreen Khan in the FT. From the ECB’s website: TIPS was developed as an extension of TARGET2 and settles payments in central bank money. TIPS currently only settles payment transfers in euro. However, in case of demand other...
Read More »TIPS Goes Online
The ECB launches its Target Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) system, which facilitates instant money transfers between banks and allows end users connected to those banks to make instant retail payments across the Euro zone. Report in the FAZ. Last year’s report by Mehreen Khan in the FT. From the ECB’s website: TIPS was developed as an extension of TARGET2 and settles payments in central bank money. TIPS currently only settles payment transfers in euro. However, in case of demand other...
Read More »IMF’s Lagarde Open to CBDC
At a conference in Singapore, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde has argued that [w]hile the case for digital currency is not universal, we should investigate it further, seriously, carefully and creatively. In her speech she emphasizes potential benefits related to financial inclusion; security and consumer protection; and privacy. (Privacy would be limited however.) She sees risks as well, including to innovation. But she de-emphasizes the notion of increased run risk which...
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