| > Where and how do "non-central" banks print money? "If you borrow £100 from the bank, and it credits your account with the amount, ‘new money’ has been created. It didn’t exist until it was credited to your account. This also means as you pay off the loan, the electronic money your bank created is 'deleted' – it no longer exists. You haven’t got richer or poorer. You might have less money in your bank account but your debts have gone down too. So essentially, banks create money, not wealth. Banks create around 80% of money in the economy as electronic deposits in this way. In comparison, banknotes and coins only make up three percent. Finally, most banks have accounts with us at the Bank of England, allowing them to transfer money back and forth. This is called electronic central bank money, or reserves." TL; DR Through borrowing. The process is regulated, but not centrally controlled. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/knowledgebank/how-is-money-c... |
Is that not backwards?
That £100 that is loaned out, hasn't appeared from the ether, its my £100 that I deposited. In some real sense I no longer have £100, I have a promise to pay me £100. So I have £100 in wealth, you have £100 cash, which is a subset of wealth. The existence of bank runs would seem to prove that I no longer have £100 cash, and that banks can't create money.
Further, the whole idea of capitalism and banking is that people who need money can borrow it to create things that generate wealth. Banks are the conduits to get money from the cash rich, to those who can best use it. If that £100 loan ends up making a better widget, has not the bank in some way generated wealth?