Cryptoassets as National Currency? A Step Too Far

New digital forms of money have the potential to provide cheaper and faster payments, enhance financial inclusion, improve resilience and competition among payment providers, and facilitate cross-border transfers.

But doing so is not straightforward. It requires significant investment as well as difficult policy choices, such as clarifying the role of the public and private sectors in providing and regulating digital forms of money.

Some countries may be tempted by a shortcut: adopting cryptoassets as national currencies. Many are indeed secure, easy to access, and cheap to transact. We believe, however, that in most cases risks and costs outweigh potential benefits.

Central Banks’ Digital Currencies: To Cherish or Not?

Tech companies have done a lot to make cashless payments mainstream, and while the argument that the central bank should officially approve the adoption of digital currencies or regulate them is ongoing, the idea of central banks issuing fiat currencies is coming to the fore. The far-left maintain the opinion that digital currencies need no regulation, and on the far right is the belief that central banks should issue digital currencies: E-Dollar, E-Yen, E-Naira, etc.

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