Superstable Money (I): Separating Bank Money Creation from Lending

This chapter introduces the first “superstable” system design. It begins by highlighting that financial crises typically prompt demands for reforming financial systems that have either demonstrated vulnerability to shocks or have contributed to the crises themselves. The chapter contends that a fundamental issue with the current systems is that bank money is generated through the process of lending. It then illustrates the advantages of an alternative system where money creation occurs through specialized commercial institutions that issue money on a non-lending basis and free of charge (rather than lending at an interest) and supply payment services to customers. The chapter shows that the operation of these institutions, supported by an appropriate financial system policy framework, generates non-inflationary purchasing power without raising private-sector debt, allows broader access to purchasing power, fuels domestic output growth through higher domestic demand, reduces the economy’s financial risks, and preserves the flow of money to the economy during crises.