Mors yours, my business. While Greece trudges towards new general elections that could sanction its exit from the euro – today for the first time a Brussels commissioner admitted that the EU and the ECB are preparing for the eventuality -, there are already those who think they can to profit from the farewell of Athens. Unsurprisingly, the company in question has nothing to do with the euro, given that its balance sheets are compiled in sterling.
According to rumors released by the Times, the British group De La Rue is preparing for the possibility of printing drachmas. New model, of course: Drachmas 2.0. The irony is that this is an autonomous initiative. Prevention is undoubtedly better than cure, but so far no one has ever asked these English gentlemen to help the Greeks by arbitrarily printing a new currency. Neither Brussels, nor Frankfurt, nor even Athens, which indeed would gladly do without them.
The De La Rue printing company prints about 150 types of banknotes for various foreign customers (it also produces the euro) and has decided to equip itself well in advance. According to an industry analyst, it takes at least six months to prepare a new banknote, given that it is necessary to be able to evaluate its anti-counterfeiting systems.
In any case, even if sooner or later it is really necessary to produce new drachmas, they still have a central bank in Greece. And she doesn't seem intent on having her job stolen.
