It Really Looks Like Greeks Are Hiding Cash Under the Mattress

Bloomberg
March 20, 2015

It is no secret that banks in Greece have been losing deposits in recent months.

The question that is somewhat open, though, is where Greeks have been moving their deposits to. Have they been transferring the cash to other banks, or have they been squirreling it away under the mattress—and under bathroom tiles?

At first glance, data from the Bank of Greece seem to point to the deposit transfer option rather than the cash-under-mattress option as the "banknotes in circulation" line item on its balance sheet hasn't shown any big spike in recent months.

This, however, does not tell the full story.

The banknotes in circulation item on the Bank of Greece balance sheet only shows the amount of cash Greece has been allocated under its share of overall euro-area banknote circulation. Any extra cash needs of the Greek economy are accounted for elsewhere on the Bank of Greece balance sheet under the rather drab headline of "net liabilities related to the allocation of euro banknotes within the Eurosystem."

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