You may have heard about the Swiss referendum to end fractional reserve lending by Swiss commercial banks. It's a fascinating development for Austrians and libertarians, and it's another example of how average Swiss people can use referenda to force both their central legislature and the twenty-six Swiss cantons to consider their proposals, merely by gathering 100,000 signatures within an 18-month period.

Here to help us understand this from a Swiss perspective is Claudio Grass, a good friend of the Mises Institute, a principal with the Swiss company Global Gold, and a Rothbardian with a great understanding of money and Banking issues.