Macroeconomic and Monetary Review
Publication
Monetary Policy
We care about the welfare of Ukraine and Ukrainians by ensuring price and financial stability as a guarantee of sustainable economic growth
Macroeconomic and Monetary Review
Publication
Why doesn't the NBU print enough money to finance the country's needs?
Money is a special commodity, but, like all other commodities, it carries value only if limited in quantity. In case a central bank issues (or, as people sometimes say, “prints”) money to cover government spending, it increases the amount of money in circulation greatly. However, the total demand for goods and services grows faster than the economy’s capacity to produce them, which would imminently translate into higher inflation.
That is, using money issue to finance the country’s needs can lead to adverse effects for the economy and public welfare, due to:
For example, take Ukraine’s negative experience of the 1990s, when the NBU financed loans to some economic sectors and the large budget deficit. This made the macroeconomic situation in the country uncontrollable. In 1992–1994, inflation peaked at over 10,000%, and real GDP fell by 9.7% in 1992, 14.8% in 1993, and 22.8% in 1994. This resulted in a drastic decline in the living standards.
How does the NBU issue money?
The initial issue of money is always conducted in cashless form through banks only (as the NBU operates exclusively via banks). The NBU can issue money using three channels:
Issue of cash always derives from the noncash issue of money. A bank asks the NBU to debit its account and receives cash at the NBU’s cash desk. After that, the bank can distribute cash to its customers by debiting cash funds from their accounts. At the same time, the amount of money in the economy does not change: of cash hryvnia decrease, while hryvnia cash grows by the same amount.