5月7日 ジンバブウェが「米ドル」紙幣発券 Zimbabwe will print $200 million worth of its own version of US dollars

Le samedi 7 mai 2016

7時、快晴、21℃、55％。寒い。

ジンバブウェ中央銀行が独自の「米ドル」紙幣を発行することにした。ハイパー。インフレは自国通貨）ジンバブウェ・ドル）発行を諦め、米ドル本位とすることでのりきった。しかし、輸出入貿易が大幅入超でドルがたりなくなり、流通紙幣が不足しているためだという。

2億ドル分の2、5、10、20ドル紙幣を発行する。勿論、バックがなければ紙切れ同然なので、アフリカ輸出入銀行Afreximbankから2億ドルを借り入れでまかなうようだ。アフリカ輸出入銀行はカイロ（エジプト）が本店。支店はアブジャ（ナイジェリア）とハラレ（ジンバブウェ）にある。出資者は各国政府および民間。

この臨時措置、果たして上手くいくのだろうか疑問に思う。ジンバブウェが米ドルを発行するといっても、本物の米ドルではない。国外では通用しない。混乱が起こるのは必至だろう。

既に1ドル以下の補助通貨）（コイン）で同様な措置をとっているらしいが、国民は補助通貨として南アのラントrandやボツワナのプラpilaは受け取るがボツワナ製米ドルのセントは受け取らない傾向という。僕もハラレでラント・コインを釣り銭でもらった。

RDCコンゴも米ドルが基本通貨である。2万コンゴ・フラン（2000円）までの紙幣を作っているけれども、家賃も給与もドル建てである。最近フランが下落しているので、米ドルの方を受け取りたがる。フランからドルを買うこともできるが、極めて不利なレートである。

自国通貨を持たないということは国が「半独立」状態なのである。

ハイパー・インフレ時のジンバブウェ・ドル紙幣

Zimbabwe will print $200 million worth of its own version of US dollars

May 05, 2016    Quartz Africa by Lily Kuo

Zimbabwe is introducing its own version of US dollars to deal with its worsening cash crunch. John Mangudya, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said the bank will introduce “bond notes” of $2, $5, $10, and $20, which will hold the same value as their US dollar counterparts, according to a statement yesterday.

Ever since declaring its own currency defunct in 2009, Zimbabwe has relied on a basket of currencies that includes the US dollar, the South African rand, the British sterling, and most recently the Chinese yuan. A strengthening dollar has made Zimbabwe’s trade deficit worse—Zimbabwe imports everything from cooking oil to bath soap—imports for the first quarter of the year stood at $490 million, compared to $167 million in exports.

And that has made cash shortages in the country worse. “We’re importing more than we’re exporting and we can’t print money because we use mainly the U.S. dollar,” said Sam Malaba, the chief executive officer of Agricultural Bank of Zimbabwe.

The government is struggling to pay its workers. Some banks have closed their ATMs, worried about long lines of anxious depositors. Workers are going unpaid, or else receiving their wages “bit by bit,” according to a farmhand in central Zimbabwe. And parents are struggling to pay school fees, cutting down on groceries, and taking on more debt to pay their bills.

The bond notes, to be introduced over the next two months, will be backed by $200 million provided by the Africa Export Import Bank, the regulator said. Mangudya also said the bank will also convert 40% of dollar receipts from the country’s exports into rand and limit daily withdrawals to $1,000.

Critics say the new bond notes aren’t likely to be well received. Zimbabwe introduced bond coins, of between 1 cent and 50 cents, pegged to the US dollar in 2014, to deal with the country’s lack of small change. But few Zimbabweans took to them, fearing that the government was bringing back its now worthless currency that caused many to lose their life’s savings.

“The way the economy responds to notes now is the same way it responded to notes five or eight years ago. So there’s not going to be any difference,” said Rejoice Ngwenya, an economist with the Coalition for Markets and Liberal Solutions in Harare. “Mangudya is once again trying to introduce the Zimbabwe currency through the back door.”