1. We believe that the dogma of financing development through indebtedness leads the vast majority of developing countries' governments to absurd behavior. The vast majority of dollar reserves are held by these countries (especially raw material exporters and China). Although they have massive foreign reserves they are still borrowing, using their reserves to purchase U.S. treasury bonds - thus lending to the U.S. Government. They deposit these bonds in the coffers of their Central Banks and then issue government bonds, either on Wall Street or in their domestic market. It is really that absurd: they buy treasury bonds with a very low yield and issue bonds remunerating lenders in dollars, with much higher interest rates. Instead of doing this, it would be better for them to stop borrowing and use their reserves for productive investment and social spending, which would lead to an improvement in the living conditions of their citizens.
Comments (5)
2. We believe that the practice of free trade and free movement of capital, goods and services by the more industrialized countries excludes the free movement of workers and people in general. This is done in complete contradiction to their own theories, since Adam Smith - praised by the neoliberals, advocated the free establishment and movement of workers.
Comments (1)
3. We believe the key issues in reforming the financial networks are their human social purpose, design criteria and assumptions. Financial networks were designed by individual actors and firms to maximize their self-interest and produce rewards in monetary terms. They were never designed to be optimized at the societal level, let alone to function within natural system constraints.
Comments (2)
4. We believe that central to the transformation of national economies and the global economy will be the re-regulation and restriction of the international finance sector. Finance will have to return to its role as servant, not master, of the global economy: to return to its given role of dealing prudently with people’s savings and providing regular capital for productive and sustainable investment.
Comments (2)
5. We believe that we must seize this opportunity granted by the financial crisis to obtain an alternative financial system based on trust and altruism.
Comments (2)
6. We want a profound change in the banking and financial systems, a new international financial austerity that gives priority to stability and not financial innovation. We need an urgent redesign of the world’s financial systems and a major shift to a more inclusive banking system is needed. We should:
Comments (1)
6.a. Revise and enhance financial regulation, increasing the transparency and accountability of financial institutions. Higher reserves should be made mandatory to banks, and bonuses should be capped – particularly in banks that have received public aid.
Comments (1)
6.b. Socialize the financial system, with ethical banks being managed by citizens, with credit seen as a public good: priority should be given to credit for green projects and social initiatives.
Comments (2)
6.c. In every country where banks have received public money and would not exist without this public contribution, nationalize them, in whole or in part, in order that they be obliged to devote a percentage of their loan portfolio to green and social projects [cooperatives, social enterprises] at very low or no interest, merely a service charge to recoup their costs.
Comments (1)
6.d. Place bankrupt commercial banks under public ownership and demand they are reorganized under full democratic scrutiny. Public banks would have social authority to reveal bad debts, assign value to asset-backed securities, and deal fairly with bank bondholders. They would provide credit to support output and employment, instead of using public funds to protect shareholders while reducing lending.
Comments (1)
6.e. Keep the cooperative and social – public – principles of Savings Banks.
Comments (0)
6.f. Promote Ethical Banking and apply to banks the principles of total transparency and exclusive inversion on social, cultural and environmental projects.
Comments (1)
6.g. Promote Saving and Credit Cooperatives, which have shown that there is an alternative way to organize the banking system, stressing a different kind of production that the traditional banks do not promote.
Comments (1)
6.h. Democratize the European Central Bank and other bodies that impose measures to democratic governments.
Comments (0)
6.i. Put an end to bank secrecy, not only because it is a method of providing finance for terrorism, but also because it can aid and abet tax evasion, drug dealing, money laundering, and corruption.
Comments (2)
7. We consider that the functions of ""saving"" and ""investing"" must be separate:
7.a. Savings banks should be managed on the basis of ""trust"", such as NGOs, cooperatives and mutuals.
Comments (1)
7.b. Investment organizations may be public or private, with the public exercising democratic accountability and discipline on the private institutions.
Comments (0)
8. We believe that commercial banks should be restricted to managing citizens' deposits in savings and credit operations. This will establish a fair competition between multinational mammoths when confronted with the historical experience of small credit unions that have been shown to operate without profit, with lower costs and with much greater attention to local welfare. It would be good to compare precautionary savings working on cooperative principles to those using corporative principles.
Comments (1)
9. We believe a new era of financial and fiscal prudence needs to be ushered in to:
9.a. reform the regulation of national and international financial markets;
Comments (3)
9.b. incentivize domestic savings, for example through secure (green) national or community-based bonds;
Comments (1)
9.c. outlaw unscrupulous and de-stabilizing market practices (such as short-selling);
Comments (1)
9. d. provide greater protection against consumer debt;
Comments (1)
9.e. protect the real economy, putting a check and prescribing a limit for our financial systems. Concentration of wealth should not be allowed. Working people/workers should be made shareholders of all financial institutions and they should be given representation in all decision-making bodies.
Comments (1)
9.f. design systems in which we reduce the scope for government failure as well as market failure, and in which societal institutions (government, markets, civil society) provide checks and balances on each other.
Comments (1)
9.g. operate with much lower ceilings than the 30+ : 1 ratio of debt to capital with which the great American and British banks were operating. Banks, both public and private, must be subject to the requirement for approval of new financial products by a regulating body.
Comments (0)
9.h. instigate a counter-cyclical monetary policy, and limit bubble dynamics in asset markets
Comments (1)
9.i. promote savings and investments in the real economy, with legal measures to reduce the culture of debt that is committed to the culture of saving and self-investment.
Comments (1)
9.j. promote better systems to turn savings into responsible, ethical and sustainable investment.
Comments (1)
9.k. promote ethical banking, direct investment or ethical investment funds that are committed to transition initiatives, businesses and activities.
Comments (1)
9.l. limit, reduce, punish, tax... speculative financial transactions and stock exchanges.
Comments (1)
10. We want to reduce, in an orderly fashion, the size of the financial sector:
10.a. By bringing interest rates and credit creation under much tighter control.
Comments (1)
10.b. By forcing the separation of financial groups and big banks. We see the banking sector spread between corporate finance (merchant banks) and securities management. Why not separate financial institutions into smaller banks, under the principle that mega banks errors made by mega banks affect us all. Instead of institutions that are ""too big to fail"" we get institutions that are small enough to fail without creating problems for depositors or the public.
Comments (1)
10.c. By subjecting all derivative products and other exotic instruments to official inspection. Only those approved would be permitted to be traded. Anyone trying to circumvent the rules by going offshore or on to the Internet would face ‘negative enforcement’ – their contracts would be unenforceable in law.
Comments (1)
11. We believe that to reach economic stability a global stimulus package should be launched. It should include:
11.a. Encouraging the donation of the North's share of the Special Drawing Rights as partial compensation for the promised 0.7% of GDP for the development of the South.
Comments (1)
11.b. An injection of an initial flow of 150-200 billion dollars each year to the most urgent tasks to avoid humanitarian catastrophes and chaos deriving from the world economy, a fund which will allow the construction of alternatives to prevent hunger, make food sovereignty a reality, build regional grain reserves, end extreme poverty, provide funding for alternative development projects, recycle and mobilize local resources and develop local pay and credit circuits, fund the technological paradigm shift in production, consumption and trade, to reduce environmental impact and the foreshadowing of a new way of life, the recovery of regional productivity and the consistency of infrastructure,
Comments (1)
11.c. Strengthening of the New Regional Financial Architecture to support regional blocks' currency arrangements for joint regional stability which may be the basis for macroeconomic convergence and the transition to a system of fixed but adjustable exchange,
Comments (1)
11.d. The extension of a new type of development bank (such as the South Bank initiative), with new priorities - regional food sovereignty, energy, health care, science and technology, physical connectivity, the funding of the heterogeneous popular economy - as well as new practices, including domestic and regional currencies,
Comments (1)
11.e. The creation of an Alternative Central Bank, starting from a direct connection to regional networks, with payments settlement systems, change mechanisms and a Regional Monetary Fund (as part of a global network) supported by the international Special Drawing Rights and related to the development of a new common currency zone, including the issue of regional Special Drawing Rights (as the ALBA's SUCRE initiative).
Comments (1)
11.f. The creation of a new global reserve system, with annual emissions of (the equivalent of) SDR’s would help create a more stable global financial system.
Comments (1)
12. We believe it is necessary to implement new general operating rules in the financial market:
12.a. Banks should function as savings institutions, without lending more than the money they have.
Comments (2)
12.b. They should increase their own capital to pay for their own rescue in a crisis following their risk investments.
Comments (1)
12.c. States must approve all financial products to reduce the scope of funds and investment banks' operations, to avoid high risk derivatives such as swaps.
Comments (3)
12.d. Control and safeguard funds: States must grant operating licenses on a strictly limited basis to i) decrease financial institutions' ability to operate with borrowed funds, ii) place severe restrictions on the incentives of stockbrokers, iii) aid complete transparency in its operations.
Comments (1)
12.e. Regulate ratings agencies, one of the businesses responsible for the international financial crisis because of their positive assessment of junk loans and bonds in the last decade.
Comments (1)
12.f. Prohibit toxic assets, derivatives, hedge funds and venture capital.
Comments (1)
12.g. Establish a global currency of solidarity based on a new financial and commercial order.
Comments (2)
13. We believe that the nature of money has changed and that we must rethink the need for interest rates on deposits and loans as they structurally encourage the unlimited growth that makes environmental, social and economic sustainability impossible. If the reproduction rate of renewable resources is inferior to the rate of compound interest that is paid to invest in these resources ... the unsustainability of the economic, social and environmental system is complete! We are over-exploiting nature and people to pay interest. This impracticality will be made explicit when we run out of fossil fuel and social violence explodes!
Comments (2)
14. We consider that economic, monetary and fiscal policy must be complemented via the establishment of supervision entities with absolute independence, without conflicts of interests. These authorities should be elected by citizens independently from political processes, in order to ensure the overall quality of the supervision, control, ecological balance and citizens protection functions.
Comments (0)
15. We believe transparency and quality should be ensured in the mechanisms of value deformation, based on land use, (sustainable) supply and demand, and the current situation, to avoid speculation and over-valuation, also taking into consideration solid fiscal and financial rules to avoid inequities.
Comments (1)
16. We believe Risk and Valuation Observatories should be created, to establish less manipulated criteria for assessments, used to determine the risk or environmental impact of a project and the value of its assets and property. These manipulations, as we have seen, affect economies, businesses and families. These observatories, national and international, independent and without conflicts of interests, will cover a gap to promote responsibility, encourage total management quality, avoid the accomplished facts, encourage transparency, and promote good practices and preventive management systems.
Comments (1)
17. We want to eliminate Investment Companies with Variable Capital (ICVCs) – companies with a ""formal"" minimum of 100 investors and with a minimum capital of 2,400,000 Euros, often used by the wealthy because they have significant tax advantages – making them pay a 1% corporation tax.
Comments (2)

Go to the next forum "Monetary System"


or

 

Go back to the homepage to select a different forum


General comments
El sistema financiero y bancario, junto con el sistema monetario, el sistema impositivo, y el sistema comercial nacional, y junto también a los nuevos modelos del sistema productivo, del comercio internacional, y de la organización financiera-institucional internacional, constituyen sin duda el núcleo duro de las reformas-base, para en apoyo de las nuevas estructuras y de la nueva institucionalidad así generadas, evolucionar hacia un tejido económico-social mucho más racional y justo que el actual, más equilibrado y con menos disparidades en la geografía y en la población, más solidario, más sustentable, y soportando grupos humanos más cultos y más coherentemente desarrollados en cuanto a su demografía. Pero atención, todo este ampuloso y sin duda necesario objetivo, no podrá convertirse en realidad en tiempos relativamente breves, ni aún restringiendo sus alcances en la geografía. Lo viable podrá y deberá ser fruto de un largo proceso que llevará décadas, y que deberá ser conducido paso a paso, en forma progresiva, comenzando sin duda por el núcleo duro de reformas, avanzando en ellas en los países donde existan condiciones propicias, y retrasando los cambios en los países donde existan más dificultades. Y por lo que ya están mostrando las recomendaciones y sugerencias generadas por el proyecto “Consenso de Barcelona”, este núcleo de ideas bien puede servir de guía a efectos de mejor orientar el señalado “proceso de transición”. Pero atención, si en relación a los planteamientos no se logra voluntad política favorable a nivel internacional, y/o si tampoco se logra convencer a un buen número de instituciones sociales y a un buen contingente poblacional sobre la necesidad de transitar por el camino señalado, poca cosa podrá obtenerse, los avances serán magros, y las ideas del “Consenso de Barcelona” dormirán en los anaqueles. Cierto, en forma regular se deberá seguir analizando y mejorando las recomendaciones de este emprendimiento, retocando la redacción, haciendo planteamientos más claros y concretos, pero tal vez más importante que eso, es que todos quienes hoy participamos en este emprendimiento de origen inicialmente catalán, o sea el grupo de expertos-ponentes, el grupo de organizadores-administradores, y el consejo asesor, nos unamos también para promover estas nuevas ideas, y para definir detalles de las etapas de transición y de las etapas preparatorias. Si un Gobierno o si un partido político nos pide asesoramiento en alguna parte del mundo, tendremos que darlo. Si una institución social de ámbito local nos pide apoyo, tendremos que brindarlo en la medida de posibilidades. Si un periodista nos pide información, prestamente tendremos que proporcionarlas, y brindarle también todas las entrevistas que se requieran. El futuro del “Consenso de Barcelona” en buena medida está en la inteligencia e ingenio con que nos podamos mover quienes lo apoyamos, a efectos de que las temáticas planteadas y las ideas sugeridas, pasen a la agenda política, pasen a la agenda mediática (y en especial de la gran prensa y de las agencias de noticias), pasen a las respectivas agendas de los organismos internacionales, y pasen también a formar parte de las preocupaciones y de los temas de debate del día a día de los ciudadanos.
Written by J.Elissalde at 24 / 11 / 2010
Debido al afán de ciertos funcionarios del sector para hacerse de jugosas comisiones a toda costa, o debido a un plan mafioso bien urdido, o debido a errores de política empresarial, o por una combinación de estos factores, o por burbujas de precios que se expanden más allá de lo razonable y por razones más o menos fortuitas, o por las razones que sean, el sector bancario y financiero en distintas oportunidades ha sido afectado por impactantes crisis, la más importante de las cuales se inició en 2007-2008 y tuvo una repercusión mundial o casi enteramente mundial. Pero también ha habido otras crisis anteriores más localizadas en la geografía, y con importantes efectos en cascada. En mayor o menor grado, todas estas crisis financiero-especulativas han demandado ayudas de los respectivos gobiernos involucrados y afectados. ¿Por qué? Bueno, indudablemente los servicios bancarios y el crédito son vitales para el funcionamiento de la economía, y entonces, se acude al apoyo financiero y al rescate, para evitar males mayores, para evitar tal vez el debacle productivo y distributivo ante la posibilidad de una caída casi completa del sector. Las poblaciones asentadas en ciudades, están muy lejos de ser auto-abastecedores de sus necesidades más primordiales, y afectar en forma importante la circulación de las especies dinerarias, indudablemente podría implicar un caos social-productivo de grandes proporciones. Claro, dadas estas consideraciones, lo razonable parecería ser establecer estrictas normativas en el sector, pero es muy probable que ello sirva de poco. El sistema financiero actual es el que está en verdadera crisis, y tal vez no tanto el sistema capitalista de producción. Por tanto, pensar en dejar las cosas más o menos como están en su base operativa, e imponer normas rígidas a las instituciones actuantes, puede servir de poco. Debemos repensar el mecanismo del interés, debemos repensar la creación del dinero bancario, debemos mejorar la propia seguridad social, los planes de contingencia, y los programas de ayuda social. Si no encaramos reformas profundas y en serio, si no innovamos en temas financieros-sociales, si no logramos desarticular los procesos especulativos y mafiosos, si no logramos controlar evasión fiscal y evasión de aportes, probablemente iremos siempre de crisis en crisis, y las innovadoras y originales normativas circunstanciales que podamos implantar, solamente acelerarán o retardarán la fecha de inicio y la duración de esas crisis, y/o afectarán la gravedad de las mismas. Pero si se desea cambiar radicalmente el panorama financiero-productivo-social, no hay otra que innovar y reformar de manera muy significativa, muy inteligente, muy sabia. Por otra parte, si cuando el sector financiero funciona deficientemente hay que rescatarlo a coste de los contribuyentes, entonces dejémonos de pamplinas, y nacionalicemos todo el sector. Claro, decir esto es mucho más fácil que implementarlo. De todas formas y si logramos automatizar casi completamente este sector, introduciendo el dinero telemático, y transformando en digitales y nominativos todos los activos financieros, entonces sí, no solamente introduciríamos mucho más transparencia en relación a los manejos financieros, sino que además aumentamos la viabilidad y conveniencia de una nacionalización completa de este tipo de actividades.
Written by J.Elissalde at 27 / 11 / 2010
* Building a cognitive humane economy solid on behalf of economy and stock speculation. * Use and management of the enormous wealth in some countries to built sustainable development.
Written by dr. bakhita at 07 / 12 / 2010
Es la ocasión la que hace al ladrón. Es la fortuita oportunidad y el probable anonimato lo que impulsa a miserables y a ruines a cometer tropelías. Hemos construido un tejido financiero totalmente inadecuado, porque genera un ambiente socioeconómico muy inseguro ya que se basa en dinero anónimo. ¿Y qué esperamos? ¿Acaso imaginamos que en un espacio monetariamente inseguro se pueda desarrollar una segura y estable actividad socio-productiva de intercambio? Por torpeza histórica, o porque así lo quisieron los líderes del poder a lo largo de las distintas épocas, hemos impuesto que los flujos de bienes y servicios se equilibren con un contraflujo monetario, pero no nos hemos preocupado especialmente de llevar un registro histórico y coordinado de ambas corrientes; apenas si nos conformamos con una supervisión fugaz (y generalmente visual y/o manual) de que ambas partes se correspondan en el momento preciso de cada intercambio. ¿Y que pretendemos? ¿Acaso imaginamos que se pueda probar con seguridad que una mercadería no es producto de un robo, si quien dice ser el dueño muestra una factura? Desde hace algunos años, Uruguay está tratando de implementar algún tipo de trazabilidad en su cadena cárnica, de forma de hacer realidad la consigna publicitaria “Carne segura de la cría al plato” o “Carne segura y controlada desde el ternero a la mesa”. De modo análogo, urgentemente necesitamos un seguro sistema de trazabilidad, un adecuado sistema de seguimiento, que en forma muy cómoda y ágil permita rehacer largas cadenas de pago en base a un extendido e inviolable “banco informatizado de datos”. Un experto en seguridad industrial sabe muy bien que es preferible un ambiente fabril seguro diseñado por expertos, y donde trabajen obreros poco competentes y distraídos, a un espacio de producción que no tiene ni barreras de protección ni protocolos estrictos de actuación, y donde trabajen obreros muy competentes y muy responsables; y la preferencia señalada se explica, el primer ambiente de trabajo es el que tendrá menos accidentes, y el que generará menos obreros amputados o lesionados. No podremos nunca construir un mundo mejor, más justo y racional, más equilibrado, más solidario, si continuamos basando la economía en dinero anónimo y no informativo. Sigamos el camino que nos marcó Agustí Chalaux, y profundicemos en la viabilidad de su proyecto de moneda telemática (y profundicemos en la posibilidad de puesta en marcha de su proyecto de moneda telemática).
Written by J.Elissalde at 09 / 12 / 2010


This forum has been assessed 426 times [Participate] [View the results for this forum]


This forum is reserved for Barcelona Consensus participants only. It can only be accessed using the username and password sent via email by our organization.