The (Near) Future of Central Bank Digital Currencies

This book provides an overview of the approaches, features and implications of CBDCs. It briefly explores the current literature on CBDCs and provides concrete example of this innovation's stage of development

The value of global cashless payments has been radically increasing worldwide. Despite cash being the most used payment instrument in the world, technological innovation and new consumer preferences are decisively transforming the way consumers pay and manage money. The COVID-19 pandemic may also have been an accelerator of the cashless mega-trend. Private players currently dominate the digital payment ecosystem, urging central banks to seek solutions to ensure public access to legal tender if cash is phased out. In this context, the idea of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is gaining momentum. Nevertheless, there is a need to better understand the implications in terms of risks, benefits and potential costs of CBDCs. From privacy concerns to macroeconomic effects, these implications blur the boundaries of the payment and financial systems, challenging the core functions of our economy and society.

Autorentext

Nicola Bilotta is a researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) in the international political economy area. Previously, he worked as a senior research analyst at The Banker Research Team (Financial Times), with which he still collaborates. He was associate fellow at the Seven Pillar Institute of Finance & Ethics and associate researcher at the Istituto di Alti Studi di Geopolitica e Scienze Ausiliari. Fabrizio Botti is Senior Fellow in the field of economics and finance at Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and Intesa Sanpaolo Fellow. He is also Research Fellow at Guglielmo Marconi University. He is core member of "Minerva - Laboratory on Gender Diversity and Gender Inequality" at the Department of Statistics of Sapienza University of Rome. Previously he was Marie Curie Fellow at the Faculty of Economics and Politics of University of Cambridge and Visiting Fellow at the Centre for African Studies of Florida University.

Inhalt

Introduction

CBDCs: The (Near?) Future of a Cashless Economy

CBDC in the Broad Context of National Payments System Development

Central Bank Digital Currency and the Future Financial System

Central Bank Digital Currencies and Law

The Digital Euro: Challenges and Opportunities

Digital Currency Initiatives on the African Continent

China's New Digital Currency: Implications for Renminbi Internationalization and the US Dollar

CBDCs and Stablecoins: The Scramble for (Controllable) Anonymity

Digital Currency: A Global Regulatory Framework is Needed

Conclusion