HIGHLIGHTS
Cash handouts are the best way to boost growth, say economists
A letter from 35 leading economists to the Chancellor, coordinated by Positive Money.
The Guardian, 4th August 2016
Fran Boait discusses the future of cash on Newsnight
Fran Boait, director of Positive Money talking about the future of cash.
BBC Newsnight, 7th Sept 2016
Scrapping cash: don’t let the banks coin it
Positive Money’s Fran Boait argues that banks have been seriously abusing their privilege to create money.
Prospect Magazine, 15th Sept 2016
LATEST
The Bank of England’s monetary policy has made inequality worse – this is how to solve it
“What is needed is a rethinking of monetary policy, where the central bank’s power to create money is used in a way which is more sustainable, and benefits the many, rather than just the few. If the Bank of England moves to respond to the next downturn with another dose of QE for financial markets, progressives need to be ready to call for “QE for People” instead.”
The Independent, 10 April 2018
Ex-Lloyds chief Eric Daniels wins back £1.4m bonus for doomed deal with toxic rival HBOS
“Fran Boait of banking reform group Positive Money said: ‘A decade on from the financial crisis, ordinary people are still paying the price for banks’ reckless behaviour.
But instead of being held to account for their disastrous decisions, bosses like Eric Daniels have been rewarded with eye-watering salaries and bonuses.’”
Daily Mail, 28 March 2018
The move from cash to electronic payments should be on our terms not the big banks’
“Our copper coins are safe for now, but there are still powerful forces including Visa, Mastercard, and the big banks, which threaten the future of cash”
The Independent, 27 March 2018
Cash Isn’t Going Down Without a Fight in Digital U.K.
“With about 5 percent of the adult population of Britain still reliant on notes and coins for almost all their day-to-day payments, campaign group Positive Money is calling on the government to enshrine consumers right to pay with cash and protect ATMs from closure.”
Bloomberg, 20 March 2018
Free-to-use cash machines `essential for majority´
“Some 77% of people say it is either fairly or very essential for them to be able to access a cash machine free of charge, a survey of more than 2,000 people across Britain from campaign group Positive Money found.”
Daily Mail, 20 March 2018
UK’s PSR needs powers to protect cash – report
“A UK-based financial think-tank believes the country’s Payment System Regulator (PSR) should be given an explicit mandate to protect access to cash.
In the report, The future of cash: protecting access to payments in the digital age, David Clarke of Positive Money argues the recent decision to raise the interchange fee for cash machines will leave a proportion of the population financially excluded when it comes to payments.”
Central Banking, 20 March 2018
Why Jeremy Corbyn needs a think tank
“In one niche field, monetary reform, one such tank has emerged: Positive Money. It was set up by a bunch of thinkers and activists (many of them from the Occupy movement) who were enraged by the rot exposed by the crisis. It is headed up by Fran Boait, who explains: “we built a movement around us; we have 45,000 people on our database and 70,000 on social media… In the UK we have 35 local groups around the country and they meet, some… do reading groups.” At times, half the outfit’s total funding has come directly from this supporter base. It makes detailed proposals on banking and Quantitative Easing, which are disdained by orthodox voices, but have sparked debate among some serious economists.”
Prospect, 19 March 2018
VEGANCOIN: VEGANS NOW HAVE THEIR OWN ‘CRUELTY-FREE’ CRYPTOCURRENCY
“VeganCoin looks like one of the many gimmick ‘currencies’ riding off of the buzz around Bitcoin,” Fran Boait, the executive director of U.K.-based research organization Positive Money, told Newsweek.”
Newsweek, 28 February 2018
RBS shares fall despite profit news
“There is a real risk that the privatisation of RBS will result in another colossal rip-off to the taxpayer,” Fran Boait, executive director of charity Positive Money said.
“The government now has a choice. It can either go ahead with plans to sell off most of our shares in RBS over the next year, at an estimated loss of £26.2bn, or it could hold onto the 71% stake and use the profits to fund vital services.”
BBC News, 23 February 2018
Virgin Money joins ban on buying Bitcoin on credit cards
“Fran Boait, from campaign group Positive Money, backs Lloyds’ move”
BBC News, 5 February 2018
The UK’s misguided obsession with GDP is driving us all into debt
“When banks offer loans, money is created as an IOU, something many MPs aren’t aware of. As a result the UK economy is based on ever growing levels of debt”
The Independent, 21 January 2018
Unless We Kick Our Addiction to Growth, We’re Heading Towards A Debt-Fuelled Dystopia
“A new report from Positive Money, published on Thursday, proposes two remedies for this last source of growth dependency, both of which involve reforms of the money and banking system upon which the rest of the economy rests.”
Huffington Post, 19 January 2018
Shake off dependence on economic growth, report says
“Politicians should stop using economic growth as a ‘blunt’ measure of success and instead focus on tackling inequality, poverty and the environment, according to a new report.
Called Escaping Growth Dependency, the report will be launched at the House of Commons later today by the Positive Money campaign group.”
New Start, 18 January 2018
Bitcoin: Bubble or Brave New World?
“On Newshour Extra this week, Owen Bennett Jones and his guest discuss whether Bitcoin and blockchain are leading us to a brave new world or towards another financial crash.”
BBC World Service, 9 December 2017
Debt-based economy is real cause of our fixation on GDP
“The economists at Positive Money among others have been working hard to raise awareness of how our money is created, the consequences of its creation by private banks and what the alternatives are.”
The Guardian, 6 December 2017
Could we cut poverty, lower stress levels AND make housing affordable by changing how money is created? We meet the people who think so…
“Few of us give how money is created a second thought. We happily – or unhappily – earn it, owe it, trade with it, and dream of more of it.
But at the annual retreat of Positive Money, a not-for-profit organisation, attendees take a step back and question how it is made and whether or not this is working.”
This is Money, 27 November 2017
Change The Record This Budget Day
“From the waves of protest around the world sparked by the economic crisis, to the recent Paradise Papers that helped pulled back the veil of secrecy from tax havens and financial trickery, the reality behind the ‘growth at all costs’ narrative is being exposed. And people are finding alternatives. Positive Money are working with some of the leading economists, academics, and policy-makers to bring about a fairer money and banking system.”
Huffington Post, 22nd November 2017
UK jobs market ‘loses momentum’ as real wage squeeze continues – as it happened
“Positive Money’s director Fran Boait hopes that Philip Hammond can help next week – especially as the Bank of England has raised the cost of borrowing”
The Guardian, 15th November 2017
The magic money tree does exist, according to modern monetary theory
“Remarkably, the elemental question – where does money come from? – does not have a settled answer amongst economists, experts and policy makers. Organisations such as Positive Money have already embarked on the process of demystifying money creation.”
The Independent, 5th November 2017
Protesters gather outside Bank of England with rates set to rise for first time in a decade
“The group — from an organization called Positive Money — is campaigning for a banking system that “supports a fair, sustainable and democratic economy.” It is arguing that higher interest rates will strangle the U.K. economy.”
MarketWatch, 2nd November 2017
INTEREST RATE RISE won’t hurt homeowners, but could DAMAGE UK ECONOMY
“Consumer campaign group Positive Money were staging a day of action on falling wages in Threadneedle Street today.
Organisers are calling on policymakers to prioritise measures that will boost incomes rather than a “damaging” rise in interest rates that will hurt millions of struggling households.”
Express, 2nd November 2017
Protests outside the Bank of England
“A group of demonstrators have gathered outside the Bank of England.
They’re from Positive Money, a group pushing for ‘QE for People’ — the idea that Britain creates new money to spend on green infrastructure, education or other social benefits.”
The Guardian, 2nd November 2017
Five in Six British MPs Don’t Know How Money Is Created
“Most consumers don’t hold politicians and elected officials in high regard these days. Ever since the financial crisis which began in 2008, the level of trust between civilians and their leaders couldn’t be lower. Regaining that trust will be rather difficult, if not entirely impossible. That’s especially true when surveys such as the one conducted by Positive Money placed political leaders in an even more negative spotlight.”
The Merkle, 31st October 2017
How the actual magic money tree works
“Shock data shows that most MPs do not know how money is created. Responding to a survey commissioned by Positive Money just before the June election, 85% were unaware that new money was created every time a commercial bank extended a loan, while 70% thought that only the government had the power to create new money.”
The Guardian, 29th October 2017
“Shocking ignorance” from MPs who don’t know where money actually comes from
“Almost two-thirds of the 50 MPs surveyed by Dods for campaign group Positive Money wrongly thought banks can’t create money, while a quarter admitted they didn’t know.”
City AM, 27th October 2017
The Tories should do something bold in their Autumn Budget: QE for the People
“Instead of pumping money into financial markets, Hammond should fund infrastructure and green technology – or give households a direct cash boost.”
Left Foot Forward, 25th October 2017
Pound jumps on rate hike forecasts
“Fran Boait, director of the Positive Money campaign group, argues that interest rate shouldn’t rise until wages have caught up with inflation.”
The Guardian, 25th October 2017
November interest rate rise is likely but risky – analysis
“Rob Macquarie, an economist at the Positive Money campaign group, told Mortgage Solutions that “monetary policymakers are aware that UK growth is the slowest in the G7, and that business confidence is fragile due to Brexit, so any rise is likely to be limited.””
Mortgage Solutions, 17th October 2017
The UK economy is hooked on rising asset prices. What happens when the bubble bursts?
“The risks of a private debt crisis are real enough. But the existential threat is that this will happen together with the bursting of the greatest asset bubble in modern economic history, just at the point when the Bank of England has no room to lower interest-rates. When consumer credit stops flowing and debtors try to pay back the money they owe, and when financial asset prices can no longer defy gravity, UK household spending will plummet. Then maybe, in a weak voice, we will ask one more question: why was no one able to foresee this?”
openDemocracy, 27th September 2017
What will justify an interest rate rise in November?
Raising interest rates at a time when real wages are falling risks unleashing forces the Bank can’t handle, according to Edward Smythe, an economist at the Positive Money campaign group. “There’s a risk to consumers, who are already struggling to keep up, being overwhelmed by the higher debt servicing costs,” he said.
The Guardian, 17th September 2017
The Debt Ceiling And #MintTheCoin: Another Teachable Moment For A Sustainable Money System
“Yellen could implement, or at least propose, QE for the people, providing the citizen’s dividend mentioned above to people rather than the previous rounds of Quantitative Easing that only lined Wall Street’s pockets. She could convene study groups to assess proposals by the group Positive Money, which advocates for government to issue money, instead of private banks.”
Huffington Post, 6th September 2017
We’re addicted to debt and headed for a crash. It could be worse than 2007
“Edward Smythe of the campaign group Positive Money, breaks it down: “If you look at total outstanding consumer loans, in July, they’re at £200bn, an £18.5bn net increase every year.”
The Guardian, 4th September 2017
At Jackson Hole, the death of an economic model may concern central bankers
“The inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation is dead. The proliferation of low-wage, irregular and insecure jobs means that wage pressures – and therefore spending power – are subdued even as unemployment falls” says Positive Money’s Ed Smythe
CNBC, 24th August 2017
Pound falls to new eight-year low against euro; Draghi defends QE – as it happened
“On the agenda for Jackson Hole should be the option of governments using money creation rather than borrowing to boost productive investment.”, says Positive Money economist Ed Smythe
The Guardian, 23rd August 2017
Quantitative easing is like heroin, says former Treasury official
Positive Money campaigners protest in front of the Bank of England in London, calling on the government and the Bank to abandon QE
The Guardian, 21st August 2017
We’re racing towards another private debt crisis – so why did no one see it coming?
A recent survey showed 90 per cent of MPs don’t even understand where money comes from (they think it’s issued by the Royal Mint).
The New Statesman, 18th August 2017
10 years on, what might cause the next financial crisis?
“We’re reliant on high asset prices and continuing to inflate those asset prices, coupled with high levels of consumer borrowing, and that’s a bit of a toxic mix which leads to financial instability,” Fran Boait, executive director of the London-based campaign group Positive Money, told DW.
Deutsche Welle, 11th August 2017