Ten years after the financial crisis of 2007 / 2008 and the invention of Bitcoin, economists not only discuss regulatory interventions but also focus on reforming money itself. Currently, the money system is under attack from various sides. Even for professionals, it is difficult to understand whether it is a war of opinions over the “best” money and monetary system, or a struggle for...

By Paul Brinkkemper Have you ever tried to explain to someone how money is created as a loan by banks? Then you most likely came across misunderstanding, disbelief and apathy. If the movement for monetary reform is to gain influence among the general public, we have to educate many people. To be effective we must find persuasive ways around the common psychological defensive reactions...

By Edgar Wortmann, Ons Geld. Since its inception in 2012, IMMR member ‘Ons Geld’ advocates the introduction of digital cash. What is that, and why is it important? Edgar Wortmann (Ons Geld counselor and IMMR core-group member) explains it. Historically, money represents a 'nominal’ and an 'intrinsic' value. A silver coin for instance, had the nominal value printed on it, and the in...

By Edgar Wortmann, Ons Geld. Michael Kumhof has released a new paper. In it he outlines design principles for 'Central Bank Digital Currency' (CBDC). Again, Michael Kumhof makes an important contribution to money reform. His design principles are good for the central bank, but also for what we want: a just and stable money system. With these design principles that comes into view. ...

Abstract There is a lot of discussion around how to handle inflation and how new money ought to be distributed, but there remains much disagreement around the best ways to approach these questions. The first part of this article clarifies what money and currencies basically are and how the value of a national currency is determined. The conclusion is summarized in the following sim...

By Edgar Wortmann, Ons Geld and IMMR Core Group member The result is known. The "No" camp has won. Nevertheless, the Swiss Vollgeld referendum was a great success. Monetary reform hit the headlines world wide. Many newspapers informed the public on money creation. Praise and appreciation for our Swiss colleagues. A resounding result! Despite much confusion and disinformation abou...

By Rachel Oliver, Positive Money  On 25-27th May 2018 the International Movement for Monetary Reform gathered for its annual gathering. This year money reform campaign groups from all over the world came together for 3 days in sunny Utrecht, Holland. We kicked off on the Friday afternoon with introductions from each group and attendees. "How's the campaign going?" "How's the organi...

This article was originally published in the Spanish newspaper EL MUNDO in February 2018. It is by Carlos Arenillas, economist, former vice president of the CNMV (Spanish Securities Supervisor), and former member of the board of the bank of Spain. A friend of mine asked me that a few months ago after the crisis - something that created a good deal of anguish for him - in the Banco Pop...