An Economist Best Book of the Year A Financial Times Best Book of the Year A Foreign Affairs Best Book of the Year A ProMarket Best Political Economy Book of the Year One of The Week's Ten Best Business Books of the Year A cutting-edge look at how accelerating financial change, from the end of cash to the rise of cryptocurrencies, will transform economies for better and worse. We think we've seen financial innovation. We bank from laptops and buy coffee with the wave of a phone. But these are minor miracles compared with the dizzying experiments now underway around the globe, as businesses and governments alike embrace the possibilities of new financial technologies. As Eswar Prasad explains, the world of finance is at the threshold of major disruption that will affect corporations, bankers, states, and indeed all of us. The transformation of money will fundamentally rewrite how ordinary people live. Above all, Prasad foresees the end of physical cash. The driving force won't be phones or credit cards but rather central banks, spurred by the emergence of cryptocurrencies to develop their own, more stable digital currencies. Meanwhile, cryptocurrencies themselves will evolve unpredictably as global corporations like Facebook and Amazon join the game. The changes will be accompanied by snowballing innovations that are reshaping finance and have already begun to revolutionize how we invest, trade, insure, and manage risk. Prasad shows how these and other changes will redefine the very concept of money, unbundling its traditional functions as a unit of account, medium of exchange, and store of value. The promise lies in greater efficiency and flexibility, increased sensitivity to the needs of diverse consumers, and improved market access for the unbanked. The risk is instability, lack of accountability, and erosion of privacy. A lucid, visionary work, The Future of Money shows how to maximize the best and guard against the worst of what is to come.

Providing a broad overview of the impact of COVID-19 on economic development, this timely book closely examines the macroeconomic aspects of economic development and the design of monetary policies including under extreme crises. Raghbendra Jha expertly introduces the subject, highlighting the links between economic growth and macroeconomic stability and illustrates a snapshot of economic development. Thoughtful discussions on measurements and limitations of the Human Development Index as well as the role of institutions and the design for monetary policy are also thoroughly reviewed. Furthermore, the book considers the open economy aspects of economic development and the challenges experienced following the global COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The insightful overview of this evolving subject will be crucial reading for scholars interested in economic development, undergraduate and graduate students of economics, as well as economics scholars more broadly. Policymakers, both nationally and internationally, will find the discussions surrounding the design of monetary policies informative and illuminating.

The recent evolution of an independent cross market, combined with the technological advancements in computerized trading marked the beginning of a new era in the Foreign Exchange Market. Triangular arbitrage among currencies, once only a theory, is now common practice for those with access to large amounts of money. This book illustrates how converting from one currency to another, then to another, and back to the original currency can be very profitable. This study provides the first direct and precise test of triangular arbitrage based on actual data.

A risk-free profit can be made by taking advantage of price discrepancies of a currency in several different markets. The study begins by reviewing past work on triangular arbitrage and provides a comprehensive review of the Foreign Exchange Market and the procedures of computerized trading. The author then presents the theory of triangular arbitrage, given a group of five major currencies. The last chapters develop methods of testing that are original and based on empiracal information. The author is careful to explain that profits arer dependent on many variables related to market volume, volatility, inefficiency, and unexpected news. The markets that consistently show the largest amounts of inefficiency are the dollar-pound-yen, dollar-mark-yen, and dollar-yen-franc markets. Inefficiencies in triangular arbitrage imply that risk-free profitable opportunities exist. Traders can take advantage of those opportunities by focusing their attention on the markets in which profitable opportunities are available.

'The thoroughgoing disaster inflicted on the global economy in 2008 by the gambling of the financial system should have resulted serious sanctions for financial actors and the jettisoning of any belief in the efficacy and fairness of the neoliberal regime. But the tepid action of policy makers has allowed the system to muddle through and undermined any remaining trust and faith among the polity. It is not hard to see the breakdown of political stability across the world in the last two to three years as resulting direct from the justified belief that the rules of the global economy favor the very few. In this book, a group of critical scholars painstakingly identify and illuminate key aspects of the global financial system that continue to reinforce global inequalities of power and that contribute to dangerous political and economic instability. Through a series of thorough case studies ranging from the macroeconomic instability engendered by untrammeled capital flows, to the way sovereign debt restructuring favors northern creditors, to the hierarchy of the monetary system that concentrates enormous power in the hands of a few central banks, these studies throw light on the ways global financial neoliberalism and political and social power work to undermine macroeconomic stability and social justice. It will be read by serious scholars of the political economy of finance with great interest.' - Arjun Jayadev, Azim Premji University, India and Institute for New Economic Thinking The essays in this book describe and analyze the current contours of the international financial system, covering both developed and developing countries, and focusing on the ways in which the current international financial system structures and is affected by profound inequalities in the international system. This keen analysis of key topics in international finance takes a heterodox perspective, with focus on the role of inequalities in power in shaping the structure and outcomes in the international sphere. The Political Economy of International Finance in an Age of Inequality begins with a discussion of capital flows and financial crisis, moves into an up-to-date discussion of the political economy of currency unions, and then focuses on analysis of capital flows and economic crises. New and established academics present a broad variety of special case studies within that general framework focusing on understudied yet important up to date cases from understudied regions and countries for a unique and important exploration of the field. This book will be of interest to students and specialists in international finance, who will benefit from the combination of the strong general framework and illustrative case studies. Its approach will appeal both to generalists and specialists. Contributors include: M. Arora, E. Braunstein, H. Comert, D. Dutt, N. Eichacker, G. Epstein, I. Grabel, S. Khalil, M. Majd, F. Perez, L.D. Rosero, Z. Ybrayev

Offering the first scholarly analysis of the economic nature of blockchains and the formation of the blockchain economy, this timely book explores the future of global capitalism. Applying the institutional economics of Ronald Coase and Oliver Williamson, the authors highlight how blockchains are poised to reshape the nature of firms, governments, markets and civil society. Chapters apply basic economic principles to explore blockchains and distributed ledger technologies through the framework of institutional economics. The book suggests ways in which cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin may develop further in the future, bringing us back to a barter economy which removes the need for a third person in economic transactions. Outlining a ledger-centric view of the economy, the authors explore how blockchains and dehierarchalisation will reduce the demand for government regulation. Institutional economists and scholars will greatly appreciate the thorough analysis of the development of institutional cryptoeconomics and insight into the future of blockchains that this book offers. Computer and technology scientists will also find this book to be a valuable read, as well as those working specifically in the blockchain industry.

Banks have a special position in the financial system. Their exclusive link to the central bank puts them at the top of the financial system and enables banks to offer liquidity to the wider economy. They also provide loans and payment services to firms and households. This multifaceted nature of banking makes the economics of banking exciting. This Research Review assembles the best 'banking' papers on all these dimensions and will be invaluable for banking scholars and practitioners.

The second edition of this important textbook introduces students to the fundamental ideas of heterodox economics. It is written in a clear way by top heterodox scholars. This introductory book offers not only a critique of the dominant approach to economics, but also presents a positive and constructive alternative. Students interested in an explanation of the real world will find the heterodox approach not only satisfying, but ultimately better able to explain a money-using economy prone to periods of instability and crises. Key features of this textbook include: A non-conventional understanding of economic analysis on a number of relevant topics A new analysis of the state of macroeconomics Deep and convincing criticism of orthodox thinking Discussion of the crucial importance of money, banking and finance today New discussions of the theories of consumption and investment Analysis of the roots of the 2008 global financial crisis A presentation of the features of sustainable development. Students of economics at all levels can use this textbook to deepen their understanding of the heterodox approach, the fundamental roots of the 2008 global financial crisis and the need to rethink economics afresh.

Do you know the true meaning of a dollar?

Few people do. Now an expert on arcane symbolism uncovers the fascinating secret meanings behind the design of the money we use every day.

In The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill, David Ovason explores the visual complexity and magic behind the world's most influential currency. Lively and readable, this extraordinary book invites you to take a dollar bill in hand and set off on a visual adventure. You will discover dazzling explanations of its secret contents -- from the symbols derived from the Great Seal to the extraordinary strands of numerology interwoven into its structure, to sur-prising hidden alignments.

Once you discover the magic and mystery revealed in The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill, you will find that the dollar in your wallet is worth so much more than what you can buy with it.

The development of information technology in supply chains has shown that this digital revolution can be a source of performance for enterprises and governments. Among these technologies is blockchain. The application of blockchains in cryptocurrency reduces information security risks and eliminates several processing and transaction fees and allows countries with volatile currencies to have a more stable currency. Blockchain Applications in Cryptocurrency for Technological Evolution features a collection of contributions related to the application of blockchain technology in cryptocurrency. It further explains the ways in which these applications have affected the industry. Covering topics such as crypto mining attacks, data processing architecture, and purchase power, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for business leaders and executives, IT managers, logistics specialists, students and faculty of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

The past twenty years have seen two waves of research on currency unions, prompted by the early experience of the European Economic and Monetary Union and by the existential crisis experienced by the euro area as a strand of the global financial crisis. The authors explore crucial themes and topics such as optimal currency area theory, the central banks and new views on policy choices, providing a comprehensive and influential review of currency unions.