A new survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit and Crypto.com says that adoption and awareness of digital currencies is increasing...
As development of CBDCs continues worldwide, the ECB makes some signifficant announcements, but some still say, "why not use stablecoins?"
In Latin America, regulators have shown a growing interest in the technology that powers cryptocurrencies to promote financial inclusion.
The IMF said Brazil's Digital Real could reap the benefits of blockchain technology and compete with privately-issued stablecoins.
With more services becoming digital, a digital currency seems to be the perfect solution to streamline the digital revolution further.
Remittances form a lifeblood supporting the lives of many, however they come with high fees. Fintech was supposed to change everything...
Although some of the prototype design challenges could limit usage, exploration of the CBDC shows positive steps.
I examine the rising relevance of Central Bank Digital Currencies. We look at the World Economic Forum policy guide to understand different versions of CBDCs and their relative systemic scale, and the ConsenSys technical architecture guide to understand how one could be implemented today. For context, we also dive into a very different topic -- Lithium ion batteries -- and show how a change in the cost of a fundamental component part (e.g, 85% cost reduction in energy, or financial infrastructure) opens up a massive creative space for entrepreneurs.
I anchor around the issues Libra is seeing in trying to develop a money, and what alternate strategies are available. We also analyze elements of a JP Morgan 2020 blockchain report, which highlights the differences between running a financial products (like a money) and a financial software (like a payments processor). In light of this necessary pivot for the regulated Facebook, we look again at Ethereum's decentralized finance ecosystem and the types of challengers it has created for Jack Henry, Finastra, Envestnet, TradeWeb, and other infrastructure providers.
The issue of privacy remains fundamental in CBDC design. The AEI published a vision for a financial system with the coin as its cornerstone.