Events

Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History: "The rise and fall of global currencies over two centuries"

20/05/2025 (Seminars)

Bank of Greece, DIESOI

The Historical Archives of the Bank of Greece, in the context of the Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History (DIESOI), jointly organised with the Athens University of Economics and Business and Panteion University, invite you to the lecture entitled:

"The rise and fall of global currencies over two centuries"

Speaker: Roger Vicquery (Bank of England)

A few words on the topic:

This work aims to quantify the relative dominance of global currencies since 1825. Vicquery’s research shows that the current hegemony of the US dollar is historically unprecedented in many respects. The previous hegemon, the pound sterling, was frequently challenged by close competitors. This work confirms that the dollar temporarily overtook the sterling for the first time in the mid-1920s before establishing its leading role immediately after WWII. Among overlooked episodes of monetary competition, this research highlights the rise of the French franc in the 1850s and 1930s, as well as of the German mark in the 1870s. This quantification also offers a long-run perspective on ongoing theoretical modelling efforts related to the determinants of dominant currency status, the Triffin dilemma and the normative implications of monetary multipolarity.

The sessions are held between 17:00-19:00 at the Museum of the Bank of Greece, 3, Amerikis Street, Athens, and are open to the public, without requiring prior registration. The lecture will be delivered in English.

The complete programme of upcoming lectures is available on the website of the Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History.

Relevant link: