This article contextualizes the rise of cryptocurrency within the historical relationship between money and the state. It begins by asking two simple yet critical questions: What is money and where did it come from? Armed with the answers, the article proceeds by taking a fresh look at...

This article contextualizes the rise of cryptocurrency within the historical relationship between money and the state. It begins by asking two simple yet critical questions: What is money and where did it come from? Armed with the answers, the article proceeds by taking a fresh look at...

We consider the debut of a new monetary instrument, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Drawing on examples from monetary history, we argue that a successful monetary transformation must combine microeconomic efficiency with macroeconomic credibility. A paradoxical feature of these...

We consider the debut of a new monetary instrument, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Drawing on examples from monetary history, we argue that a successful monetary transformation must combine microeconomic efficiency with macroeconomic credibility. A paradoxical feature of these...

We consider the debut of a new monetary instrument, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Drawing on examples from monetary history, we argue that a successful monetary transformation must combine microeconomic efficiency with macroeconomic credibility. A paradoxical feature of these...

Die Ankündigung des Social-Media-Giganten Facebook, eine neue »Weltwährung« mit dem Blockchain-basierten Zahlungssystem Libra einführen zu wollen, löste international kontroverse Diskussionen über Vor- und Nachteile von Kryptowährungen aus. Die Reaktionen reichten von Begeisterung über...

The introduction of a digital currency is part of the continuous evolution of the financial system, which has always been driven bytechnological innovations. For the first time in many years, Western central banks are exposed to potential currency competition. But a dig-ital euro also has the...

Im Euroraum wird die Einführung eines digitalen Euro bereits seit Längerem diskutiert. Die Untersuchungsphase der Europäischen Zentralbank lief bereits seit Oktober 2021 und ging im Oktober 2023 in eine Vorbereitungsphase über. In anderen Ländern wird digitales Zentralbankgeld bereits...

Although there are currently four retail central bank digital currencies in circulation, no central bank has yet issued the wholesale form of a central bank digital currency. There are good reasons to do so, however, and central banks have already conducted projects in this area. A wholesale...