1,564 research outputs found

    Demandable debt as a means of payment: banknotes versus checks

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    We examine the question of whether transactable forms of privately issued, demandable debt are better used as "banknotes" or "checks." The distinction between the two is that a check must be redeemed by the issuing bank with each use, whereas a banknote can circulate. We find that the answer to the question depends critically on the cost of early redemption. If this cost is small, banknotes will not circulate, so the question is moot. If this cost is large, incentive problems will prevent the issue of banknotes. For intermediate values of the early redemption cost, the option of early redemption limits the bank's risk-taking behavior, so that banknotes will be preferred over checks.Checks ; Money ; Payment systems

    Central Banks and Payment Instruments: a Serious Case of Schizophrenia

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    This article analyses the competition between cash and payment cards against the backdrop of the dual role of central banks - as issuers of cash and as institutions with a mandate to foster the efficiency of payment systems in general. It is argued that this dual role results in a number of policy dilemmas, namely concerning pricing, traceability of banknotes and the choice of denominations of coins and banknotes. On a general level, the article argues that central banks should place greater emphasis on improving the efficiency of retail payments and less on protecting their self-interest. More concretely, the article repeats the suggestion - originally put forward in VAN HOVE & VUCHELEN (1996) - that the ECB should place the upper limit of its banknote series at EUR 50 instead of EUR 500. It is also argued that policy makers should explicitly foster the use of cost-based pricing and in particular create a legal environment that makes it possible for commercial banks to start using it.payment instruments; central banks; cash; banknotes; payment cards; public policy; efficiency

    The demand for euro area currencies: past, present and future

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    The present paper analyses currency in circulation in the euro area since the beginning of the 1980s. After a comprehensive literature review on this topic we present some stylised facts on currency holdings in the euro area countries as well as at an aggregate euro area level. The next chapter develops a theoretical model, which extends traditional money demand models to also incorporate arguments for the informal economy and foreign demand for specific currencies. In the empirical sections we first estimate the demand for euro legacy currencies in total and for small and large denominations within a cointegration framework. We find significant differences between the determinants of holdings of small and large denominations as well as overall currency demand. While small-value banknotes are mainly driven by domestic transactions, the demand for large-value banknotes depends on a short-term interest rate, the exchange rate of the euro as a proxy for foreign demand and inflation variability. Large-value banknotes seem to be therefore used to an important extent as a store of value domestically and abroad. As monetary policy is mainly interested in getting information on the demand for currency used for domestic transactions we also try several approaches in this direction. All the methods applied result in rather low levels of transaction balances used within the euro area of around 25% to 35% of total currency. After this we deal with possibly changing cost-benefit-considerations of the use of cash due to the introduction of euro notes and coins. Overall, there seems no evidence so far of a substantial decline of the demand for currency in the euro area. JEL Classification: E41, E52, E58cointegration, currency in circulation, purposes of holding currency

    Efficiency and costs of payments: some new evidence from Finland

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    This paper deals with optimal payment systems. The issue boils down to how large are the costs of different payment media, which can be interpreted as a question of the efficiency of the means of payment. However, there are other qualifications related to the choice of payment media. Here, at least three issues can be distinguished. First is the question of optimal payment medium for each individual payment (size, location, EFTPOS etc.). This choice is not independent of the individual characteristics of the payer and payee. Secondly, there is the question of cost effectiveness of payments for different institutions and sectors. The final issue concerns the social optimum for each payment medium. These issues have been particularly controversial in the case of cash, which is still the dominant payment medium in most euro countries. Part of the controversy arises from the fact that the costs and benefits of different payment media affect different market participants in quite different ways, so that a possible social optimum might not correspond eg to the optima for different firms. The paper contains a short review of calculation methods and empirical results for a sample of countries. It also provides new evidence from Finland, which is to an extent one of the front-runners in payment technology and institutional design in payment systems. This shows up in relatively low overall costs of payments. Our estimate of total costs of payment media is 0.3 per cent of GDP, which is very low by international standards.payment media; cash; payment systems; costs of payments

    Central bank Financial Independence

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    Central bank independence is a multifaceted institutional design. The financial component has been seldom analysed. This paper intends to set a comprehensive conceptual background for central bank financial independence. Quite often central banks are modelled as robot like maximizers of some goal. This perspective neglects the fact that central bank functions are inevitably deployed on its balance sheet and have effects on its income statement. A financially independent central bank exhibits the adequate balance sheet structure and earnings generation capacity to efficiently perform its functions. From a long term perspective, as far as the demand for banknotes is maintained seignorage waters down any central bank financial independence concern. However, from a short term perspective central bank financial vulnerability may condition its effective independence. Vulnerability may be real or accounting based. However, no matter its origin, institutional solutions are needed to minimize their impact. Adequate capitalization turns out to be a key issue. Alternatively, contingent capital in the form of institutional arrangements to bear central bank losses may be a (second- best) solution. The paper analyses in the context of simple VAR model the interplay between capitalization, accounting rules and dividend distribution. This analysis is preceded by a thorough discussion of the risk return profile of central banks net return on assets. Three main conclusions shape the input to the capitalization model. Central banks return on assets can be very volatile from a short term perspective. From a medium term perspective, natural earnings generation cycles dampen down volatility. On average, central banks net return on assets typically exhibits a discount over government debt financing cost. These observations shape the central bank financing planning problem as follows. Namely, the size of the discount relative to the social costs that would arise in case of a lack of central bank independence, along with central bank exposure to risks and the volatility thereof, determine the incentives of the government to maintain an excess of financial assets in the form of central bank capital. Actually, the working of smoothing mechanisms operating across time on central banks earnings leads to a distinction between short term and medium term capital, i.e. the optimum capital solution is a band. In the same vein, the need to maintain optimal consistence between central bank financial strength and dividends distribution policy leads also to smoothing proposals for pay out policy.Central Banking Capital, Independence, Accounting, Profits

    The economics of TARGET2 balances

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    It has recently been argued that intra-eurosystem claims and liabilities in the form of TARGET2 balances would raise fundamental issues within the European monetary union. This article provides a framework for the economic analysis of TARGET2 balances and discusses the key arguments behind this recent debate. The analysis is conducted within a system of financial accounts in which TARGET2 balances can arise either due to current account transactions or cross-border capital flows. It is argued that the recent volatility of TARGET2 balances reflects capital flow movements, while the previously prevailing current account positions did not find a strong reflection in TARGET2 balances. Some recent statements regarding TARGET2 appear to be due to a failure to distinguish between the monetary base (a central bank liability concept) and the liquidity deficit of the banking system vis-à-vis the central bank (a central bank asset concept). Furthermore, the article highlights the importance of TARGET2 for the stability of the euro area and points out that the proposal to limit the size of TARGET2 liabilities essentially contradicts the idea of a monetary union.TARGET2, central bank balance sheet, liquidity deficit, financial crisis

    Demand for Currency, New Technology and the Adoption of Electronic Money: Evidence Using Individual Household Data

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    Accurate information on money demand is essential for evaluation of monetary policy. In this regard, it is important to study the effect of financial innovation to money demand. We investigate the effect of a new form of such technology, electronic money, to money demand. Specifically, we estimate currency demand functions conditional on electronic money adoption using unique household-level survey data from Japan. We obtain the following results. First, currency demand indicates that average cash balances do not decrease with the adoption of electronic money. Rather, it seems to increase under some specifications. Second, households at the lowest quantile of the cash balance distribution tend to have higher cash balances after adopting of electronic money. These findings indicate that consumers do not significantly substitute cash holding with e-money holding despite the rapid diffusion of electronic money among households.Currency Demand, Transaction Demands for Money, Electronic Money

    Narrow money and transaction technology: new disaggregated evidence

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    This paper analyses the effect of transaction technology innovation on narrow money using Italian data disaggregated at provincial level. In particular, this study assesses the impact of the diffusion of ATMs (automated teller machines) and of POS (points of sale), on the demand for currency and on the demand for M1 using a unique data set. We find that transaction technology innovation has a negative effect on the demand for currency in circulation, while its effect on M1 is positive; additionally, heterogeneity in the use of cash within Italy is detected.Currency; Demand for money; Financial innovation; Monetary aggregates

    Local currencies in European History : an analytical framework

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    Although today's main organisation principle of monetary spaces is the nation-state's one, everyone can see it is not totally the case because of the existence and the development of local and social currencies and other sorts of parallel currencies. European history gives very useful lessons on this matter. One can distinguish, indeed, three historical periods : firstly, an “old regime” with a great diversity of money, including forms of local currencies ; secondly, the building of nation states and, consequently, what Benjamin Cohen (1998) calls a “westphalian model of geography of money”, centred on the principle of one nation, one money, excluding local currencies different from national currencies ; thirdly, the contesting of such a regime of monetary sovereignty. European history gives, then, evidences that the contemporary dynamics of local currencies is not a new one, but that it is undoubtedly the most important of the third period. European history leads however to make significant differences between forms of monetary localisms. Those differences are analyzed within the following framework. First, we have to make a distinction between the nature of issuers : public authorities, groups of citizens, businesses and banks. Monetary localisms before the Westphalian era were mainly organized by public authorities (lords) and religious orders, whereas today's monetary localisms mainly come from citizens and businesses (except from emergency issues and secessions logics). Second, we have to make a distinction between the rationales for monetary localisms : sovereignty, seignoriage and financing needs, protecting spaces, revitalizing spaces, transforming the nature of exchanges and money. Monetary localisms before the Westphalian era were mainly organized in order to capture money and dynamize spaces, whereas one can find the four rationales in today's monetary localisms. The paper, after presenting the analytical framework, concentrates on three sorts of local currencies : local currencies as a result of necessities, local currencies issued by banks and local currencies aiming to change money. It concludes on the differences between local currencies in European history and contemporary local currencies.Local currencies;monetary history;Europe;Owen;Gesell;Banks of issue

    Debit card and cash usage: a cross-country analysis

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    During the last decade, debit card transactions grew rapidly in most advanced countries. While check usage declined and has almost disappeared in some countries, the stock of currency in circulation has not declined as fast. We use panel estimation techniques to analyze the change in transactional demand for cash resulting from greater usage of debit cards in 13 countries from 1988 to 2003. We are able to disentangle cash’s store of value function from its payment function by separating cash into three denomination categories. We find that the demand for low denomination notes and coins decreases as debit card usage increases because merchants need to make less change for customer purchases. On the other hand, the demand for high denomination notes is generally less affected suggesting that these denomination notes are also used for non-transactional purposes.Debit cards ; Cash flow ; Payment systems
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