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The use of large denomination banknotes in Switzerland

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  • Assenmacher, Katrin
  • Seitz, Franz
  • Tenhofen, Jörn

Abstract

We study the demand for Swiss banknotes over the period from 1956 to 2015 and present stylized facts on different banknote denominations since the inception of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in 1907. Employing the so-called seasonal method, we focus on the demand for banknotes used as a store of value (“hoarding”), which can be expected to be particularly relevant for Switzerland against the backdrop of its status as a safe-haven country, its currently and historically low level of interest rates, and a banknote denomination with the largest value among advanced countries. Due to the pronounced seasonal pattern of CHF 1000 banknotes, which might not be related to transactions, we cannot rely on seasonal ranges including the December peak. Instead, we employ other peak dates as well as a method to correct for the excess seasonality, using institutional features of the tax system. The latter approach is not sufficient to eliminate the excess seasonality and thus does not lead to plausible estimates for the hoarding share of CHF 1000 banknotes. Employing other peak dates, however, indicates that since the turn of the millennium the share of CHF 1000 banknotes that is hoarded increased steadily from around 30% in the mid-1990s to over 70% in recent years.

Suggested Citation

  • Assenmacher, Katrin & Seitz, Franz & Tenhofen, Jörn, 2017. "The use of large denomination banknotes in Switzerland," International Cash Conference 2017 – War on Cash: Is there a Future for Cash? 162917, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:iccp17:162917
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Katrin Assenmacher & Franz Seitz & Jörn Tenhofen, 2019. "The demand for Swiss banknotes: some new evidence," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 155(1), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Svetlana V. Krivoruchko, 2019. "Demand for Money and Circulation of Large Face Value Banknotes: Current Trends," Finansovyj žhurnal — Financial Journal, Financial Research Institute, Moscow 125375, Russia, issue 2, pages 96-108, April.
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    4. Rösl, Gerhard & Seitz, Franz, 2023. "Uncertainty, politics, and crises: The case for cash," IMFS Working Paper Series 186, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    currency in circulation; banknotes; hoarding;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E41 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Demand for Money
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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