Episode 637: The Last Euro In Greece : Planet Money Greece's monetary system is in crisis right now, and the government is closing the financial pipes. The effects are widespread and weird.

Episode 637: The Last Euro In Greece

Episode 637: The Last Euro In Greece

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Greek Euro Duncan Hull / flickr hide caption

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Duncan Hull / flickr

Finance is a little like plumbing: it's not until the pipes fail that we really want to know what's happening.

As the standoff between Greece and rest of Europe continues, Greece has had to shut down some major parts of its financial plumbing to stop major leakages.

The effects are widespread and weird. Families are hoarding gasoline. Bean and rice imports are drying up. ATM lines resemble a slow-motion bank run.

It's a lesson in the usually invisible things that keep an economy together.

Music: Cory Gray's "Nothing More Than Something" and Tune-Yards' "Water Fountain." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/ Spotify/ Tumblr.