Banks Should Take Lead in Electronic Money, N.Y. Fed Says

Development of electronic payment services belongs in the private sector, where banks can be in the forefront of innovation, a senior Federal Reserve official told banking executives Tuesday.

"Banks have an opportunity to take the lead in electronic money," said William J. McDonough, president and chief executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. "The true test will take place in the market."

Banks have an edge over nonbanks because the public already trusts them to manage money, Mr. McDonough said at a Bank Administration Institute symposium. Still, the Fed will encourage nonbanks to offer more electronic payment services, because it will mean more competition. "We serve the people, not the banks," he said.

Mr. Shea writes for the Medill News Service.

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