Viral Acharya image

Viral Acharya

2 Votes

NYU Stern

  • New York, NY

About

  • C.V. Starr Professor of Economics
  • Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India (2017- 2019)
  • Editor, Review of Financial Studies (2025-Present)
  • Resident Scholar, Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2023)

Voting History

Interest-bearing stablecoins, either via direct issuer payments or exchange-provided rewards, would measurably erode the deposit franchise of banks in developed-market economies.
Vote Confidence Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree
8
Uncertain
6
Comment: Depositors that don't require liquidity management services will seek crypto-related and higher deposit rate services of interest-bearing stablecoins. Bank franchise would get eroded by limiting the ability to diversify shocks across depositors, and by greater deposit competition
Finance

Housing Affordability

Question A: Having the government-sponsored housing agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities would reduce mortgage rates by more than 25 basis points.
Vote Confidence Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Disagree
8
Disagree
7
Comment: Market failure for housing affordability is for first-time buyers not getting enough supply from potential sellers who are locked in at low mortgage rates. Better to address these two ends of the market directly. Coarse measures: GSE support, institutional restrictions won't work
Question B: Having the government-sponsored housing agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities would measurably improve the affordability of home ownership.
Vote Confidence Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Uncertain
8
Disagree
7
Comment: GSE support works when it is carried out with forward guidance, not as a one off... it is too crude a measure to address the market failure due to low locked-in mortgage rates.
Question C: Restrictions on large institutional investors buying single-family homes would measurably improve the affordability of home ownership.
Vote Confidence Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Disagree
8
Disagree
6
Comment: There is a good reason for markets to be arranged around large institutions who could serve as valuable market makers. Without evidence that this is the problem, restricting institutional ownership could impair liquidity of housing transactions, adversely affecting affordability