Cash is an extremely useful social contrivance. Kenneth Rogoff, who calls for phasing-out high denomination cash over time, recently discussed two possible drawbacks of high-denomination cash: the extensive use of high-denomination cash in crime and in illicit and corrupt activities and the role...

Cash is an extremely useful social contrivance. Two possible drawbacks of high-denomination cash have recently been discussed by Kenneth Rogoff in his book The Curse of Cash, and echoed by other economists. They are the extensive use of high-denomination cash by criminals and others engaged in...

The Bank of Amsterdam, founded in 1609, was the first public bank to offer accounts not directly convertible to coin. As such, it can be described as the first true central bank. The debut of central bank money did not result from any conscious policy decision, however, but instead arose almost...