In this article, Bernard Lietaer, Robert Ulanowicz and Sally Goerner discuss the shortcomings of conventional approaches to managing banking crises (i.e. nationalization of problem assets), and they explain why these typically fail to address systemic causes. The authors argue that a better solution would involve the adoption of complementary currencies, and the government’s acceptance of these currencies in partial payment of taxes during a period when banks are not in a position to fully finance the real economy.