Birth of New Reserve Currencies

Some 95 per cent of all global foreign exchange reserves are invested in just four currencies: the US dollar, the euro, the yen and sterling. The central banks of the ‘Big Four’ are all expanding their balance sheets or have been doing so for years with no sign of immediate reversal. They are all trying to convert huge debt problems into inflation problems, and when they succeed their currencies will weaken sharply.

In this currency war, EM central banks risk suffering the most collateral damage. Their reserves – so many of them held in the big four currencies – will be decimated in purchasing power terms. The world will become desperate for alternative currencies to act as replacements for the traditional reserve currencies once their currency debasement efforts really take root. 

So far, only one country, China, appears to have spotted the opportunities presented by this situation. Most others merely watch the dollar in fear.

China’s renminbi will become a global reserve currency in the not too distant future. China will benefit enormously from becoming a global reserve currency – not only will its currency become far more stable, but China will also no longer need so many reserves. The excess reserves can then be used for sovereign wealth fund purposes, including the AIIB. Finally, China will be able to increase consumption, because it no longer needs to suppress domestic demand in order to maintain high levels of reserves.

But the world will need more new reserve currencies than just the renminbi. This means that other large EM countries such as Mexico, Brazil, India and others could also benefit from the opportunity that China is now exploiting. With sensible planning and prudent policy implementation, they too can become global reserve currencies.

Technocrats in EM central banks are aware of these issues but face tremendous challenges in convincing their boards of the need to diversify into other currencies. That is why China’s move is so important. The renminbi’s ascent to reserve currency status will demonstrate the huge benefits of diversifying away from the ‘Big Four’ currencies. China will soon have to sell treasuries as its reserves become true ‘excess’ reserves. It is likely to seek to invest the cash in less mainstream currencies. Other EM central banks will ultimately reciprocate by buying renminbi. As each major EM central bank diversifies, not only will it be good for other EM currencies, it will also help all of them to reduce their excess exposures to the ‘Big Four’ QE currencies. (www.chinainout.com)