Superstable Money (II): Separating Money Creation from Banks

This chapter explores a different “superstable” system design, contrasting fractional reserve banking’s inherent instability with full reserve systems like narrow banking, which promote stability at the expense of lending capacity. The chapter discusses the potential of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to create a secure domestic currency. However, introducing a CBDC could disrupt traditional bank lending and intermediation. To address these challenges, the chapter presents the “CBDC next-level model,” wherein the central bank lends money to banks, which then allocates these funds to the economy according to their criteria. This model ensures that deposits move from banks to the central bank, mitigating the risk of bank runs while maintaining banks’ lending functions. It shields the central bank’s capital and depositors from individual bank defaults. Moreover, the chapter outlines the transition from conventional banking to the CBDC-based system, promoting enhanced financial stability compared to current models.