The benefits for13 stakeholders, a imaginary retrospective on August 1, 2015
Let us imagine that it is the first of August 2015, three months before the general election. It is a sunny summer afternoon, we are in the garden of the Gold coin currency foundation.
As in recent years, many guests have arrived: politicians, lobbyists, business people, journalists. The atmosphere is relaxed despite the forthcoming elections, because every single guest has contributed to the almost incredible success story of the gold coin currency.
The host: the Gold coin currency foundation
Hans A., the director of the foundation, directs himself to the guests:
"Dear Fest community. I would like to briefly remind you why we are here and thank the host.
Our foundation has existed for decades, and up to 2012 had a charitable purpose. Then we heard about the project Gold coin currency. Thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of the board members we could both support the project as well as change the foundation’s name. The Board of Trustees deserves our thanks as far-sighted pioneers and as the hosts of today’s event. We may say now that it was an important symbol when the gold franc association changed it’s address to this location; a project with such an address just had to be taken seriously ;-)
As every year, all stakeholders have the opportunity to present the history and their reason for supporting the Gold coin currency, I am sure you have noticed the contributions already, they can hardly be overlooked. Particularly interesting in light of the upcoming elections are surely the political party’s presentations. Have fun and enjoy!
(in alphabetical order)
1. Banking industry: positive headlines and new lines of businesses
... and from 2013 onward things started going well again. The Gold coin currency has made two important contributions: firstly, the positive headlines, even before the referendum; secondly, new business in the financial sector.
When the initiative was in preparation, we committed ourselves. This commitment was one of our most worthwhile .
Today, the global gold trade is shifting dramatically in the direction of Switzerland and in the form of Swiss gold coins. Thanks to the constitutional legal protection we can invest in the development of new investment opportunities, the goal is to have interest-producing products as soon as possible.
Demand for gold coins comes from abroad as well as from the domestic market. Abroad, demand is rising rapidly for our well-priced, practical and high-quality gold coins both in the traditional gold affinity cultures of India, China, Arabia and Turkey as well as in many countries with high inflation. After some traumatic experiences with hyperinflation, many people want no more paper money but a money “they can bite into."
In industrialized countries and in the "Tigers" of the Far East, we use a good part of the marketing budget to promote the distribution of gold coins with the inscription of the respective banks. We have never had a more rewarding marketing campaign in all of our history.
In Switzerland, the gold coins play a negligible role in everyday transactions, because the paper franc is ideally suited for this purpose and well established. Nevertheless, several shops and organizations accept gold coins, especially in tourist areas. The so-called "Goldomaten" on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich and in tourist resorts are extremely popular even with the locals. It is practical and chic to use gold coins as gifts and presents and the "Göttibazen", gold coins for nephews and grandkids in piggy banks have experienced a renaissance. Medium term all ATMs will probably be converted to issuing gold coins along with paper currencies.
2. BDP (a swiss political party): The new force as a catalyst for achieving
The BDP is the new political force and promotes a pragmatic policy for the benefit of Switzerland. We have examined the issue carefully and very soon supported it because the welfare of Switzerland is above party politics. Our support can be seen in retrospect as a catalyst that accelerated the political process and the project
3. CVP: gold coins for a liberal social Switzerland
Our diversity in opinions was a benefit in our decisionmaking process. We had, from the beginning, proponents in our midst and could therefore discuss the issue widely and deeply an quickly recognized that: The Gold Coin Currency supports many of the CVP concerns, and more: it represents our deep values of a liberal and social Switzerland with intact family values. A symbol for this is the "Save plus" plans for young people, which means a savings account in the bank, in combination with a piggy bank for gold coins at home. Children and young people at long last like to save again, an invaluable educational value.
4. Export industry: stable franc and Swiss Ambassador
The discussion in our circles was short and intense. It was around the question of whether and how much the gold coins benefit the Swiss franc. As soon as we agreed that its influence would be positive in any case, we closed our ranks and actively supported the project.
The assertion that a Gold coin currency would have a dampening effect on the franc is logically correct and easily justifiable: Swiss gold coins are much easier, more convenient and safer than the previously known gold trading forms. They are therefore generally better suited as a liquid asset alternative - a "safe haven" and can therefore relieve the "normal" CHF as a safe haven. Specifically: each euro and the dollar, which flows into gold coins instead of paper franc as a safe relieves the pressure on the Swiss franc. This dampening effect has already been described by Professor Bernholz in his legendary article in the Telegraph (16 May 2012).
In francs and centimes, we will never be able to determine this influence beyond doubt. This is not so important in retrospect. For a perhaps even more important effect we have not even guessed then: the tremendous effect that millions and millions of Swiss gold coins have abroad, little ambassadors of Swiss values such as reliability, precision, value and innovation are carried into the farthest corners of the earth.
5. FDP: For the love of Switzerland, with courage and understanding
Our priorities of the past have not lost their urgency: more jobs, secure social welfare and less bureaucracy. The gold coins support each one of these issues: for business, they offer new opportunities; for social welfare, they offer new investment models, all of it unbureaucratically self-regulated thanks to the Gold coin currency institute.
We do not jump blindly onto the bandwagon of any idea: a variety of critical ideas and opinions were discussed and debated . At the end, everyone could stand on its own conviction behind the project and support business competently.
The FDP is and remains the trusted partner of the project, in all aspects. Having said all this, we must not conceal the fact that the Gold coin currency offers no single solution to our problems. Preserving a good business environment for Switzerland remains an urgent challenge.
6. Small business: opportunities and prestige
It is always the same story: big business talks, we act. We had from the beginning, resourceful and committed members who recognized the countless new opportunities through a new Gold coin currency and have therefore decided quickly to support the project.
The advantages for the gold processing and for the coin production business are obvious, as are the manufacturers of vending machines ("Goldomaten"), of forgery auditors etc. One less foreseeable development was in tourist areas, with souvenirs and similar business. Innovation there is still in full swing, and probably has not yet reached its zenith.
The gold coins give us new fields of entrepreneurship, we don’t want to miss then at any cost.
7. Unions: safer Swiss workplace and safer pension annuities
We were skeptical at the beginning, didn’t immediately jump onto the train, but instead tested the arguments carefully. We can now confidently say: our clientele benefits twice from the Gold coin currency. Firstly, the gold coins have a dampening effect on the Swiss franc and thus secure jobs - secondly, our retired workers may choose to receive between 0 and 15% of the retirement pension in gold coins and are thereby better protect against inflation.
To promote awareness, we allow our members to pay the annual dues to the unions, starting next year, in gold coins.
8. Greens: Natural money and sustainable gold production
We, the greens, look at the world - both practically and philosophically.
In practical terms, we quickly came to the conclusion that the gold coins further our five criteria of a green policy in many ways, and nowhere contradict them: Long term vision, quality, solidarity, diversity and decentralization.
Highly interesting is the philosophical perspective. Our criticism of the credit money system is perhaps the most profound, and therefore equally profound is our support of the Gold coin currency. The infinitely extendable credit money system allows limitless indulgence, the system is unstable and can tip over and collapse like an ecosystem. A commodity money, which can not be increased arbitrarily, allows no exaggerations in the financial system, no artificial debt economy and no gigantic infrastructure projects on credit and at the expense of future generations. We note with pleasure that the mere existence of the Gold coin currency restrains the credit money system.
As a surprise for the occasion today we have a special announcement. The gold mining has stood for decades under criticism by human rights activists and environmental groups. The Swiss gold coins has increased public interest in gold so that a sustainability standard has been defined for the gold mining industry and that this will be signed later this year by all of the most important producers.
9. Green Liberals: Now. But tomorrow as well
The credit money system has provided us with a terrible and protracted financial crisis, we seem to make little progress for years. Economic crises pose the biggest threat to the ecological transformation of societies, because if people do not have work, their own shirt is more important to them than concerns for nature and the environment.
We were skeptical at the beginning, but we soon recognized the positive contributions of the Gold coin currency. Healthy finances and a strong economy is a precondition for our core values, freedom and self-responsibility. The mere existence of a Gold coin currency, a politically independent commodity money, sharpens awareness for a sustainable monetary system. We dare to say that monetary policy at the highest level is already affected and is being disciplined, due to this awareness.
10. Swiss National Bank SNB: discrete beneficiary
Political discretion is our duty. In the case of the Gold coin currency we were glad, because we did not want to take an official position in international circles. Internally we always knew that the Gold coin currency provides two benefits. Firstly the Gold coin currency replaces the Franc almost exclusively in its function as a liquid store of value, as a "safe haven". It is precisely the function of the franc as a "safe haven", which makes the demand for francs difficult to control and leads to pressure on the franc's exchange rate. The relief provided by the gold coins tends to smooth the fluctuations in the exchange rate which means we have to intervene less. The second benefit is that the voting campaign greatly increased interest in monetary politics. By international standards we probably have unmatched monetary knowledge in our population, which makes communicating and work in general easier for us at the SNB
Incicentally: the Swiss franc is still the main and dominant currency for everyday transactions, for loans and investments. This will remain so as long as the franc remains a high-quality medium of exchange. The quality of the franc is our responsibility at the SNB and we are willing and prepared to defend it. We therefore consider the competition of the Gold coins as a sporting challenge.
11. Socialist Party: the Gold coin currency, a social concern of heart
The SP has always fought for a Switzerland for every citizen instead of for a privileged few. We are proud that we realized very soon which part of the population will benefit most from the Gold coin currency, which is meanwhile confirmed by daily experience. These are the socially disadvantaged, pensioners, small savers, the proverbial 99% of the former occupy-movement, worldwide.
A propos: we understood the effect, which a real, existing Gold coin currency would have on the population's awareness of monetary issues. This awareness sharpened the people’s attention to the bonus question and other excesses in the financial system and their understanding of why the state has to intervene. Our fundamental criticism of the international financial capitalism remains as valid today and in the future and we will make sure that the gold coins receive neither disadvantages nor advantages as compared to the Francs, neither in terms of taxes nor in money laundering.
12. SVP: Swiss gold coins, Swiss quality
The SVP is entitled to the undisputed pioneer in supporting the idea. Our parliamentarians initiated and carried the parliamentary initiative, our internal party discipline allowed to endorse the initiative in the respective commission unanimously.
The gold coins overcome political and geographical boundaries. They are a product of our unique political system, nowhere else in the world would such a constitutional amendment be possible as peacefully. The gold coins are both a world currency for the benefit of all peoples and all income levels. They are in this respect a typical SVP concern: Swiss quality for the benefit of the world.
13. Insurance companies and pension funds: More safety in a zero interest rate environment
Our business is security. Swiss love security, they love alternatives, they even choose a additional option for the second and third pension pillars. We have recognized the potential of the gold coins quickly and early and actively supported it.
Reality confirms our beliefs. Half of the new pension recipients who retired last year converted a portion of their retirement pension in gold coins, usually between 5 and 10% of their assets. Furthermore, the tax-deductible private retirement saving plans in gold coins, the 3c pillar initiated by the FDP, enjoys great popularity.
For us the Gold coin currency was and is a highly welcome contribution to the alleviation of our problems in these times of zero interest rates, a little redemption. Nationally and internationally there is still no rate hike is in sight, and at the same time currency devaluations linger. The gold coins are an ideal complement and addition for life insurance policies, annuities and pension plans. Experts predict in the medium term up to 15% of all deposits and withdrawals in the form of gold coins. That will bring us many years of fantastic growth rates. Not to mention the international potential ...
