CATHERINE AUSTIN FITTS - From the Maastricht Treaty to CBDCs with Arno Wellens

By Catherine Austin Fitts

This week, Dutch writer and financial journalist Arno Wellens joins me to help situate the push for central bank digital currency (CBDC) in its historical context. Solari subscribers who have watched Solari’s pick for 2022 Documentary of the Year, State of Control, will already be familiar with Wellens, who has a deep knowledge of the European Union and a deep understanding of the threats posed by CBDCs and digital IDs.

With a degree in business administration, Wellens first worked as a banker and accountant before branching off into investigative financial journalism. His journalistic beat covers the EU, international real estate and investment fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering through the banking system, among other “financial quandaries.” His 2014 book, The Euro Evangelism, traced the history of the European monetary union, the banking crisis, and unsustainable debt levels.

In this interview, we discuss how Wellens came to understand CBDC risks and the dangers of central financial control, as well as what the EU and European Central Bank (ECB) are doing to roll out CBDCs, despite significant resistance from both the public and some leaders. Both of us agreed that our conversation barely scratched the surface—stay tuned for a “Part II” later this year.