Regulated free banking in Switzerland (1881–1907)

The free-banking history of Switzerland is subdivided into periods with unfettered competition (1826–1881), and strict banknote regulation (1881–1907). This paper suggests that the Federal Banknote Act of 1881 was introduced to remedy the fragmentation of the unfettered-competition period, during which private note-issuing banks were unable to issue standardised paper money. Although the corresponding minimum-reserve and mutual-acceptance rules led to a standardisation, they created new problems. For example, these regulatory interventions reduced the flexibility (or “elasticity”) of the paper-money supply. It turned out that a central note-issuing bank is needed to supply adequate amounts of standardised banknotes.

ISLAMIC FINANCE IN ETHIOPIA: CURRENT STATUS, PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

Ethiopia is a country found in the horn of Africa and notable in the Muslim world as the destination of the two migration of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Ethiopia has a Muslim population expected to be around 50 million. Unfortunately, with this significant Muslim population, it accommodates Islamic finance in its conventional financial system lately. This study aims to investigate the current status, prospects, and challenges of Islamic finance in Ethiopia. For these reasons, different secondary data were collected and analyzed. The result of the study indicated that Islamic finance in Ethiopia is representing by three financial institutions such as Islamic banks, Islamic Insurance and Islamic microfinance. Islamic banking is providing through the Interest-free banking window and fully-fledged forms of interest-free banking. The interest-free banking window system is adopted by conventional banks, whereas Full-fledged Islamic Banks providing services using their own separate Sharia-compliant financial system. The result also indicated that high public demand, adequate capital for the establishment, availability of substantial customers, easy deposit mobilization and profitability are the foremost opportunities for Islamic finance in Ethiopia. Whereas, negative perception about Islamic finance, legal framework challenges such as restriction of investment and double taxation, and lack of skilled human resources are the main potential hindrances for the sector.

Are Free Market Fiduciary Media Possible? On the Nature of Money, Banking, and Money Production in the Free Market Order

Recent debates in monetary theory have centered on so-called free banking and the role of banks in providing money in the form of fiduciary media in a pure market economy. This paper examines how and to what extent fiduciary media can emerge in a pure market economy. Based on the theory of value, it is argued that those economists are mistaken who claim that money substitutes must in all cases be interpreted as being money titles. Those economists too are mistaken, however, who claim a large role for the circulation of fiduciary media in a pure market economy. It is argued that holding fiduciary media in one’s cash balance is an entrepreneurial error, as fiduciary media by their nature do not have the qualities people demand in holding money. Money is the comparatively most certain good and the present good par excellence, qualities that fiduciary media do not have. Holding fiduciary media instead of money is therefore an entrepreneurial error, and like all errors in the free market, it will tend to be eliminated in the process of entrepreneurial profit and loss, leading to the virtual disappearance of all fiduciary media from the market economy.

Editorial: The Riba¯ Case Pending for three Decades: The Federal Shar¯ı‘at Court, Pakistan may Fulfill its Constitutional Responsibility by Outlawing the Interest

While Islamic banking is being promoted by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) working parallel with theconventional banking since 2002, the Constitution of Pakistan requires that interest must be outlawed from The economy as early as possible [Article 38 (f)]. The legal trajectory of interest made its way to the Federal Shar¯ı‘at Court (FSC) after the 10-years moratorium on adjudicating fiscal and banking matters ended at the end of May 1990. The FSC and subsequently the Shar¯ı‘at Appellate Bench (SAB) of the Supreme Court of Pakistan delivered their landmark judgments in 1991 and 1999 respectively, but the state officials opted to hide behind some constitutional provisions, or the presumed view of some jurists /scholars to plead that the ‘interest" was not that rib¯a as prohibited by Qur’¯an. Although, the connotation of rib¯a has long been agreed at the level of Islamic ummah to include moderncommercial interest in rib¯a, and e_orts for evolving ‘interest-free’ banking and finance system are underway also including Pakistan, but there have been some hindrances in implementation of Islamic injunctions and the Shar¯ı‘at Courts’ judgments. The rib¯a case being reheard in the FSC since 2013, after it was remanded back by the SAB in 2001 is becoming gradually complicated. The debt trap for Pakistan’s economy is becoming increasingly painful requiring to transfer almost all resources for servicing the debt. However, little e_ort hasbeen made to transform the economy of Pakistan to risk and reward sharing and cooperative bases in the light of Islamic principles. During the hearing of the case in May this year the representatives of the state contended that "the non-justiciable policy decisions regarding implementable possibilities were beyond the jurisdiction ofthe Shar¯ı‘at Court.

Interest Free Banking in Ethiopia: Customer Awareness, Satisfaction and Its Role on Economic Development

This study is aimed at evaluating the customer’s awareness and satisfaction toward Interest-free Banking and its role on Ethiopia economic development with some selected Commercial Bank in Ethiopia. To achieve the aim of the study the primary data was collected from Customers and Managers of the selected banks by using convenience method through questionnaire and interview. While, secondary data was collected by compiling and summarizing the bank’s Annual reports and Journals. The collected data was analyzed in descriptive and inferential analysis. The finding of the study depicts as low customer awareness regarding Interest-free Banking services except the Interest-free Banking account holders. Further, majority of Interest-free Banking account holders are more or less satisfied with the current Interest-free Banking services provided since, it can potentially serve as an alternative banking channel in filling the gap left unaddressed by conventional banking and economic development in relation to idle monetary resource mobilization and allocation, inviting to use banking system, creating employment opportunity, supporting GDP growth and assisting in stabilizing crisis and arresting inflation. Based on the study result it concluded as Interest Free Banking have its own role on the country economic development through mobilizing the idle monitory resource, allocating the monitory resource, creating employment opportunity, and inviting to the banking system. Therefore, it recommended as the banks should make aggressive promotion on Interest Free Banking services for customers awareness specially those of out of Muslim customers, the government has to support and should give more emphasis to enable Interest Free Banking service, promote Interest Free Banking which can help assist the economy in stabilizing economic crisis and arresting inflation.

HERBERT SPENCER’S CASE FOR FREE BANKING

Though now almost entirely forgotten, Herbert Spencer was among the most widely read thinkers during the late nineteenth century. As part of his system of synthetic philosophy, Herbert Spencer addressed the topics of money and banking. This philosophic system articulates a concept of justice based on the principle of equal freedom. Invoking this principle, Spencer rejected a government-superintended regime of money and banking as unjust. Instead, he morally favored a system of free banking. Spencer also defended this system on economic grounds. His argument was that banks could be self-regulating in their management of the money supply, on the condition that the government limit its activities in the financial sphere to the enforcement of contracts. While Spencer’s case is not beyond questioning on philosophic and political grounds, he offers a distinctive and forceful analysis.

Unanswered quibbles: George Selgin still gets it wrong with fractional reserve free banking

In this article we reply to George Selgin’s counterarguments to our article «Fractional Reserve Free Banking: Some Quibbles». Selgin regards holding cash as saving while we focus on the real savings necessary to maintain investment projects. Real savings are unconsumed real income. Variations in real savings are not necessarily equal to variations in cash holdings. We show that a coordinated credit expansion in a fractional reserve free banking (FRFB) system is possible and that precautionary reserves consequently do not pose a necessary limit. We discuss various instances in which a FRFB system may expand credit without a prior increase in real savings. These facets all demonstrate why a fractional reserve banking system —even a free banking one— is inherently unstable, and incentivized to impose a stabilizing central bank. We find that at the root of our disagreements with Selgin lies a different approach to monetary theory. Selgin subscribes to the aggregative equation of exchange, which impedes him from seeing the microeconomic problems that the stabilization of «MV» by a FRFB system causes. Key words: Free banking, fractional reserve, monetary equilibrium, credit expansion, economic cycle. JEL Classification: B53, E32, E42, E5, G18, H11, K39, P3, P34. Resumen: En este artículo respondemos a George Selgin, que a su vez respondió a nuestro artículo «Fractional Reserve Free Banking: Some Quibbles». Selgin considera que los saldos de tesorería son ahorros, mientras nosotros nos fijamos en los ahorros reales necesarios para mantener proyectos de inversion. Ahorros reales son ingresos reales no consumidos. Variaciones en los ahorros reales no necesariamente coinciden con las variaciones en los saldos de tesoreria. Mostramos que una expansión crediticia coordinada es posible en un sistema bancario de reserva fraccionaria (FRFB) y que las reservas prudenciales no constituyen necesariamente un limite a la expansión co - ordinada. Discutimos varios escenarios en los que el sistema FRFB puede expandir los créditos sin un aumento previo en los ahorros reales. Todas estas facetas muestran que un sistema bancario de reservas fraccionarias —incluso uno de banca libre— es inherentemente inestable y produce incentivos para imponer un banco central estabilizador. Mostramos que el origen de nuestras diferencias con Selgin está en un enfoque diferente a la teoría monetaria. Selgin es partidario de la ecuación de intercambio que es muy agregada y que le impide ver los problemas microeconomicas que la estabilización de «MV» por parte del sistema FRFB produce. Palabras clave: Banca libre, reserva fraccionaria, equilibrio monetario, expansión crediticia, ciclo económico. Clasificación JEL: B53, E32, E42, E5, G18, H11, K39, P3, P34.