Category Archives: Public Banking

All the World’s Money and Markets in One Visualization

All of the World’s Money and Markets in One Visualization by The Money Project

How much money exists in the world?

Strangely enough, there are multiple answers to this question, and the amount of money that exists changes depending on how we define it. The more abstract definition of money we use, the higher the number is.

In this data visualization of the world’s total money supply, we (The Money Project) wanted to not only compare the different definitions of money, but to also show powerful context for this information. That’s why we’ve also added in recognizable benchmarks such as the wealth of the richest people in the world, the market capitalizations of the largest publicly-traded companies, the value of all stock markets, and the total of all global debt.

The end result is a hierarchy of information that ranges from some of the smallest markets (Bitcoin = $5 billion, Silver above-ground stock = $14 billion) to the world’s largest markets (Derivatives on a notional contract basis = somewhere in the range of $630 trillion to $1.2 quadrillion).

In between those benchmarks is the total of the world’s money, depending on how it is defined. This includes the global supply of all coinage and banknotes ($5 trillion), the above-ground gold supply ($7.8 trillion), the narrow money supply ($28.6 trillion), and the broad money supply ($80.9 trillion).

All figures are in the equivalent of US dollars.

LA Times Op-Ed: How a California Public Bank could fix the freeways, send kids to college and ambush Wall Street

The need to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure might provide an opportunity to overcome big bank opposition to public banking. The high cost of building and fixing roads, bridges, airports and the like is only increased by the fees and interest payments charged by private banks and by bond issuers. Public banks could mitigate those costs.

Public Banks for our Communities: Building Economic Democracy!

SPECIAL BOULDER EVENT Rocky Mountain Banking Institute invites you to learn about money, banking and public banking. This will also be an opportunity to get questions answered. When Wednesday, August 2, 2017 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM  Where:  The Riverside 1724 Broadway St. Boulder, CO 80302 Speakers: Alec Tsoucatos, Professor of Economics, Regis University; […]

Conference on Public Banking: February 11, 2017, in Boulder, CO!

Public Banks for our Communities: Building Economic Democracy! Greetings! Please accept this invitation to attend our conference on Public Banking, “Public Banks for our Communities: Building Economic Democracy! “First 100 Registrants Only. Open to the public – suggested donation $10. No one turned away for lack of funds. Refreshments will be served. When Saturday February […]

Featured Event: Ellen Brown on “The Promise of Public Banking”

Community Forum of First Universalist Church and the Rocky Mountain Public Banking Institute present: Ellen Brown J.D. (in person) “The Promise of Public Banking” When: Sunday, October 30th 12:30 p.m. Where: First Plymouth Congregational Church of Denver; Room 212, La Foret Room, 2nd Floor 3501 S. Colorado Blvd., Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113 (SW corner of […]

Denver Post Op-Ed: Colorado needs a public bank

In 1729, Benjamin Franklin gave credit to the colonial government of Pennsylvania for restoring prosperity by lending money beginning in 1723. Franklin later blamed Britain’s decision in 1764 to prohibit further lending and printing of paper currency by colonial governments as the chief cause of the Revolution because it rapidly caused widespread unemployment and poverty.

Banking on Colorado Response to
Calabria: Colorado would be wise to reject state-owned banking

Earl Staelin, board member of Be The Change — USA, and a leader in its initiative to establish public banks in Colorado, Banking On Colorado, wrote an Op-Ed for the Denver Post, entitled Colorado needs a public bank, which appeared in the print edition of the Denver Post on Sunday, February 15, 2015. In response […]

Banking on Colorado: Bringing Our Money Home Conference Videos

Supported by a grant from the Denver Foundation, Be the Change — USA, along with the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center and the Public Banking Institute, hosted a conference in Denver on Saturday, January 31, 2015, Banking on Colorado: Bringing Our Money Home. We present here videos from the entire event. Introductory Address – Nomi Prins: Wall Street and the Concentration of Wealth […]

Fractional Reserve Banking 101 and 102 — Tutorials from the Khan Academy

To understand how a public bank can operate and make money for a state, county, or municipality that owns it, it is important to understand how banking is done in the United States, as well as most countries around the world. Most banks use a model of banking called fractional reserve banking. This model allows […]

Public Banking In the News: How Public Banking is Winning the West

Public banking efforts are very active in the Western United States. Matt Stannard, who writes frequently about progressive economic issues, writes here about four of the more active public banking efforts in the western states: in Washington, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. From the Occupy.com: How Public Banking is Winning the West BY MATT STANNARD […]