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The Sovereign Money Initiative in Switzerland: An Economic Assessment

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  • Bacchetta, Philippe

Abstract

The Sovereign Money Initiative will be submitted to the Swiss people in 2018. This paper reviews the arguments behind the initiative and discusses its potential impact. I argue that several arguments are inconsistent with empirical evidence or with economic logic. In particular, controlling sight deposits neither stabilizes credit nor avoids financial crises. Also, assuming that deposits at the central bank are not a liability has implications for fiscal and monetary policy; and Benes and Kumhof (2012) do not provide support for the reform as they do not analyze the proposed Swiss monetary reform and their closed-economy model does not fit the Swiss economy. Then, using a simple model with monpolistically competitive banks, the paper assesses quantitatively the impact of removing sight deposits from commercial banks balance sheets. Even though there is a gain for the state, the overall impact is negative, especially because depositors would face a negative return. Moreover, the initiative goes much beyond what would be the equivalent of full reserve requirement and would impose severe constraints on monetary policy; it would weaken financial stability rather then reinforce it; and it would threaten the trust in the Swiss monetary system. Finally, there is high uncertainty both on the details of the reform and on its impact.

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  • Bacchetta, Philippe, 2017. "The Sovereign Money Initiative in Switzerland: An Economic Assessment," CEPR Discussion Papers 12349, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:12349
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    2. Pfister Christian, 2020. "The 100% Reserve Reform: Calamity or Opportunity?," Working papers 786, Banque de France.
    3. Mojmir Hampl & Tomas Havranek, 2020. "Central Bank Equity as an Instrument of Monetary Policy," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 62(1), pages 49-68, March.
    4. Belke, Ansgar & Beretta, Edoardo, 2019. "From cash to central bank digital currencies and cryptocurrencies: A balancing act between modernity and monetary stability," Ruhr Economic Papers 816, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    5. Bofinger, Peter & Haas, Thomas, 2018. "A simple microeconomic model for the analysis of Vollgeld," W.E.P. - Würzburg Economic Papers 99, University of Würzburg, Department of Economics.
    6. Ansgar Belke & Edoardo Beretta, 2020. "From cash to private and public digital currencies. The risk of financial instability and “modern monetary Middle agesâ€," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 9(3), pages 189-196.
    7. Marcelo A. T. Aragão, 2021. "A Few Things You Wanted to Know about the Economics of CBDCs, but were Afraid to Model: a survey of what we can learn from who has done," Working Papers Series 554, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department.

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    JEL classification:

    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers
    • E41 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Demand for Money

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