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On money, debt, trust and central banking

Author

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  • Claudio Borio

Abstract

This essay examines in detail the properties of a well functioning monetary system - defined as money plus the mechanisms to execute payments - in both the short and long run, drawing on both theory and the lessons from history. It stresses the importance of trust and of the institutions needed to secure it. Ensuring price and financial stability is critical to nurturing and maintaining that trust. In the process, the essay addresses several related questions, such as the relationship between money and debt, the viability of cryptocurrencies as money, money neutrality, and the nexus between monetary and financial stability. While the present monetary system, with central banks and a prudential apparatus at its core, can and must be improved, it still provides the best basis to build on.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudio Borio, 2019. "On money, debt, trust and central banking," BIS Working Papers 763, Bank for International Settlements.
    • Handle: RePEc:bis:biswps:763
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    4. Schroth, Josef, 2021. "Macroprudential policy with capital buffers," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 296-311.
    5. Raphael Auer & Marc Farag & Ulf Lewrick & Lovrenc Orazem & Markus Zoss, 2022. "Banking in the shadow of Bitcoin? The institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies," BIS Working Papers 1013, Bank for International Settlements.
    6. Borgonovo, Emanuele & Caselli, Stefano & Cillo, Alessandra & Masciandaro, Donato & Rabitti, Giovanni, 2021. "Money, privacy, anonymity: What do experiments tell us?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    7. Sebastian Schich, 2019. "Do Fintech and Cryptocurrency Initiatives Make Banks Less Special?," Business and Economic Research, Macrothink Institute, vol. 9(4), pages 89-116, December.
    8. Carlos Alberto Durigan Junior & Mauro De Mesquita Spinola & Rodrigo Franco Gonc{c}alves & Fernando Jos'e Barbin Laurindo, 2024. "Central Bank Digital Currency: The Advent of its IT Governance in the financial markets," Papers 2407.07898, arXiv.org.
    9. Jia, Pengfei, 2021. "Trust Shocks, Financial Crises, and Money," MPRA Paper 106343, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Sirio Aramonteand & Wenqian Huang & Andreas Schrimpf, 2021. "DeFi risks and the decentralisation illusion," BIS Quarterly Review, Bank for International Settlements, December.
    11. van Eeghen, Piet-Hein, 2021. "Funding money-creating banks: Cash funding, balance sheet funding and the moral hazard of currency elasticity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    12. Sabrina Aufiero & Silvia Bartolucci & Fabio Caccioli & Pierpaolo Vivo, 2025. "Mapping Microscopic and Systemic Risks in TradFi and DeFi: a literature review," Papers 2508.12007, arXiv.org.
    13. Paul Pichler & Martin Summer & Beat Weber, 2020. "Does digitalization require Central Bank Digital Currencies for the general public?," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q4/19, pages 40-56.
    14. Juniper, James & Nadolny, Andrew & Pantelopoulos, George & Watts, Martin, 2021. "Orthodox macroeconomic textbooks: A critical evaluation using institutional practice as a benchmark," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    15. Peter Stella, 2021. "Interpreting Modern Monetary Reality," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 33(4), pages 8-23, December.
    16. Li, Boyao, 2024. "A balance sheet analysis of monetary policy effects on banks," MPRA Paper 120882, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Spahn, Peter, 2019. "Keynesian capital theory: Declining interest rates and persisting profits," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 10-2019, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    18. Aberg, Pontus & Corsi, Marco & Grossmann-Wirth, Vincent & Hudepohl, Tom & Mudde, Yvo & Rosolin, Tiziana & Schobert, Franziska, 2021. "Demand for central bank reserves and monetary policy implementation frameworks: the case of the Eurosystem," Occasional Paper Series 282, European Central Bank.
    19. Giuseppe Gurrado & Donato Masciandaro, 2025. "Stablecoins vs CBDCs: the Digital Money Race in the Scientific and Social Networks," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 25254, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E00 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - General
    • E30 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • E40 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - General
    • E50 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - General
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • N20 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - General, International, or Comparative

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