Friday, January 20, 2023

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD -->BASKET OF CURRENCIES, SETTLEMENTS, THE FLOAT ... & THE WOLF

 

What Happens If The U.S. Dollar Is No Longer The World's Reserve Currency

WHAT IS A WORLD RESERVE CURRENCY, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT AND HOW DOES THE US DOLLAR DIFFER FROM OTHER CURRENCIES IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE SETTLEMENTS? THE MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS WHY A GOVERNMENT WOULD WHAT TO DENOMINATE ALL SOVEREIGN  INTERNAL  TRANSACTIONS, INDIVIDUAL SAVINGS, IRA'S, RETIREMENT FUNDS, ETC. IN A DIGITAL CURRENCY? 

With the increasing penetration of the World Wide Web and direct communications an individual in one country can directly purchase a product/service directly ... what form of currency does the transaction use to execute the sale? Who or rather want entity is the middle-man in the transaction? Mastercard, VISA, American Express, ... you name it! Of course, this involves a bank or institution facilitating the credit/currency settlement in the transaction. No problem here this has been happening since the 1950 with the first use of the Diner's Club credit card.  I can only think of 31 trillion reasons why this new method is of interest, who is the beneficiary of this policy?

World reserve currency (WRC) is a "form of currency" which is the main currency in the facilitation of international transactions. The US dollar has been the world's most frequently used currency with settlement since it became the first reserve currency in the world in 1879.

The US dollar is not the only reserve currency in the world. There are numerous other currencies including "baskets of intangibles" that are also considered to be reserves, such as the Euro and Japanese Yen. British Pound and Chinese Yuan.

The US Dollar's status has been impacted by trade agreements and globalization such as NAFTA, GATT and TPP.

How Countries Are Using Different Currencies for International Trade The past was when international commerce was conducted primarily in one currency. But, due to the growing adoption of digital currency, countries are now opting for different currencies for their international trade.

Countries such as Japan along with China have utilized digital currencies for international trade. This is because it is easier to track and control these transactions. Other countries such as the US are using USD as their primary currency for international transactions.

Why are countries moving away from their dependence on the US Dollar as their world Reserve Currency?  The US Dollar has been the world's reserve currency since 1945. The US Dollar is by far the most frequently used currency in international commerce, and it is also the most liquid. DUH ... perhaps the biggest market, banking, investment and/or destination of foreign direct investment!

What Is the SWIFT Banking System? 

Need to transfer money overseas? Today, it is easy to walk into a bank and transfer money anywhere around the globe, but how does this happen? Behind most international money and security transfers is the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) system. SWIFT is a vast messaging network banks and other financial institutions use to quickly, accurately, and securely send and receive information, such as money transfer instructions.

More than 11,000 global SWIFT member institutions sent an average of 42 million messages per day through the network in 2021, marking an increase of 11.4% over 2020.

The world is shifting away from the US Dollar as their world reserve currency.  In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently announced that it would no longer use the US Dollar as its primary benchmark for assessing countries' economic conditions. The announcement made by the IMF coincides with a period that many countries are witnessing their economies deteriorating and have been struggling to maintain their financial stability.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE SETTLEMENT

What Countries are Now Using as Their World Reserve Currency? World reserve currencies are a kind of currency held in large quantities by central banks in other nations and is utilized in international trade.

The US dollar has been the reserve currency of the world since 1945. However, it has lost its status as the most dominant currency because of the growth of China's Yuan which replaced it with the Japanese Yen in 2016. Other countries like Russia, Germany, France and Britain are also now using their own currencies to serve as global reserve currencies.

The countries switching to their own currencies were affected by factors including economic growth, stability in the political sphere and inflation rates.

NO MORE FLOAT?

How Many Global Currencies are in Use Today? The number of currencies that are in use today has grown significantly from the 70s. This is due to the fact that many nations have adopted their own currencies in their nation's financial system.

The top 20 currencies in use today are the US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Japanese Yen, Chinese Yuan, Canadian Dollar, Australian Dollar, Swiss Franc, New Zealand Dollar.

The US dollar is the most widely used currency around the world. It is followed by the Euro as well as the British Pound which are also used globally. The Japanese Yen is utilized by a handful of countries including Japan and China. In contrast, the Chinese Yuan is only used in China and Canada. Finally, the Swiss Franc can only be used in Switzerland.

What Are Some of the Best Alternatives to the USD The US dollar is at present one of the world reserve currency currency, which is the most used currency in the world.

This position has been contested by nations like China as well as Russia. Both of them have implemented their own currencies to replace the USD.

Russia and China aren't the only countries that have taken action to take on US dominance over currency. Other countries like Iran, Turkey and Venezuela have also adopted their currency as an alternative to the USD.

The best alternative to USD is still unknown at the moment. But, there are some who believe that a better alternative would be a cryptocurrency-based digital currency like Bitcoin or Ethereum.

After several decades of increasing global economic integration, the world is facing the risk of policy-driven geoeconomic fragmentation (GEF). This note explores the ramifications. It identifies multiple channels through which the benefits of globalization were earlier transmitted, and along which, conversely, the costs of GEF are likely to fall, including trade, migration, capital flows, technology diffusion and the provision of global public goods. It explores the consequences of GEF for the international monetary system and the global financial safety net. Finally, it suggests a pragmatic path forward for preserving the benefits of global integration and multilateralism.