This paper deals with the financial statements of Central Banks. The starting point is the analysis of their balance sheets, which reveal their strong connections, on the one hand, with the National Treasuries; on the other hand, with the financial firms. The balance sheets reveal, besides the...

This paper deals with the financial statements of Central Banks. The starting point is the analysis of their balance sheets, which reveal their strong connections, on the one hand, with the National Treasuries; on the other hand, with the financial firms. The balance sheets reveal, besides the...

The paper analyzes the historic origin of Central Banks, from three basic processes: the evolution and convergence of the free banking system to a hierarchical and centralized system in the Central Bank; the transformation of Clearing Houses in Central Banks, and finally, the processes by which...