Bancor Comes of Age: A Case for an Indian Bitcoin Reserve

John Maynard Keynes proposed the concept of ‘Bancor’ 1940 as a supranational currency that would serve as the international reserve currency. The concept did not take off at the time, although the underlying need to liberate the international system from the hegemonic tendencies of a national currency serving as a global medium of exchange. The emergence of Bitcoin makes it possible to revive the idea of a de-nationalised global medium of exchange. This article examines the feasibility of such an idea by examining a viable state policy for adoption and use in the international realm.

Liberalization of foreign exchange regulation and control in the Russian Federation: status and trends

. At present, due to the changing economic situation, in particular, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the question of the need for further liberalization of foreign exchange regulation and control in order to encourage real investment in Russia remains relevant. The liberalization process is the removal of restrictions on foreign exchange transactions between Russian currency residents and non-residents. When carrying out liberalization, the interests of society and the state should be taken into account in terms of national security and welfare.Since the adoption of the legislation on currency regulation and currency control, currency restrictions have been weakened (in particular, the obligation to reserve currency and issue passports of transactions in cross-border transactions has been canceled). Liberalization of foreign exchange legislation continues systematically at the present time. At the same time, against the background of liberalization, more and more noticeable is the increasing attention of the state to the property and income of foreign currency residents abroad in order to “whitewash” the economy.

Internationalization of Renminbi as a Function of China’s Foreign Exchange Policy

This article discusses the prospects of the Chinese renminbi (RMB) to expand its sphere of influence and become a full-scale reserve world currency. The methods used in the article are retrospective analysis and graphic analysis. The work is divided into three sections. The first section provides a broad overview of modern reserve currencies. The second part characterizes RMBs shaping as a reserve currency, as well as inner and outer factors that influence its status. The third section includes information about RMBs current status and its perspectives for being a reserve currency in the future. The article argues that currently RMB has already become a regional reserve currency in Asia-Pacific. Chinese government continues to make steps towards international expansion of RMB, yet these steps cannot make RMB one of the leading world currencies together with USD and EUR in the nearest decade.

Military and Political Influence on the Portfolio of Global Reserve Currencies

This paper analyses a new concept presented in the works of B. Eichengreen, A.J. Mehl, L. Chitu “Mars or Mercury? The Geopolitics of International Currency Choice”, according to which the state’s possession of nuclear weapons is linked to its possession of reserve currency. The paper aims to provide a detailed assessment of how gaining reserve currency status depends on the military and political potential of the state issuer. The research method is an analysis of the historical material and the current state of the issue under discussion. The study shows the relationship between the global military and political leadership and control over the global financial infrastructure, which increases its importance as a space for interstate conflicts. It has been proven that neither the presence of military power nor the ability and willingness to provide partners with security guarantees do not predetermine the acquisition of the reserve status by the national currency. This status is acquired as a result of control over global investment processes, in the implementation of which military power plays a significant, but not exclusive role. This power, as the potential for economic and financial dominance, is a derivative of the scale and level of development of the national economy, with a key factor in its deep involvement in international trade. From the point of view of practical forecasting of economic, military and political development, the authors conclude that in the foreseeable future, despite the strengthening of its military potential, the PRC will not be able and, most likely, will not try to obtain the status of the yuan as a reserve currency. The United States, in turn, will increasingly use its dominance in the capital market and control over the global financial infrastructure as a tool to maintain global leadership. Further study of the considered issues will significantly increase the efficiency of forecasting economic processes in relation to the military and political situation.

Benjamin Graham on Buffer Stocks

Surprisingly, Benjamin Graham, the acknowledged “Father of Value Investing”, considered his most important work to be the invention of the Commodity Reserve Currency Plan during the 1930s and 1940s. Previous studies of the Plan have overlooked the fact that, of its three main components (buffer stocks, price stability and currency–backing), Graham regarded the first as the most important and the other two as “secondary” or “subsidiary”. By focusing on the buffer–stock aspect, we demonstrate, first, the breadth and depth of Graham’s overall conception in terms of both micro– and macro-economics and, second, the considerable overlap with Keynes’s ideas developed around the same time, which are manifested particularly in their common conclusion that the inefficiency of commodity markets could be rectified only by government intervention. We also comment on Mehrling’s assessment of Graham as “not any kind of economist at all” (JHET, 2011).

Decentralization of the Monetary System As a Way to Move away from the Reserve Currency of the US Dollar

The article presents the main directions of the plan for the de-dollarization of the Russian economy, identifies strategic partners in its implementation. A comparative analysis of the centralized and decentralized payment system is carried out. The advantages and disadvantages of the decentralization of the monetary system are emphasized, the trends of its development in Russia are determined. The perspectives of decentralization of the monetary system as a way of abandoning the reserve currency - the US dollar - are analyzed. Proposals are formulated for the further development of the decentralization of the monetary system in Russia.

EU recovery deal offers hope for stability

Significance The recovery fund will consist of loans worth EUR360bn and grants worth EUR390bn that will be financed by European Commission borrowing. The main objective is to provide additional stimulus on top of national recovery programmes. Italy and Spain will be the largest beneficiaries of the fund. Impacts The implementation of the fund looks set to be slower in Italy and Spain, given their poor track records for the deployment of EU resources. A successful agreement would strengthen unity and trust among the member states, upon which cooperation in other areas could be easier. A wider pan-European bond market could attract more international attention to the euro as a reserve currency.