A Beginner’s Guide To Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
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The growth of Cryptocurrencies has encouraged nations to take some initiatives to launch their own digital currencies, ‘Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Various countries are already preparing to launch this system, and among all, China is leading the battle. CBDC is also known as the country’s official currency.
In a more simple term, a Central Bank Digital Currency represents a digital form of fiat currencies with the help of Blockchain technology and digital tokens.
The only difference between Cryptocurrencies and Central Bank Digital Currencies is that CBDC will be centralized by the country’s financial authorities. China has already created its own Cryptocurrency, i.e., ‘Digital Yuan’ officially called DC/EP, and at the same time, this is giving a tough competition to Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Pros Of Central Bank Digital Currencies
Traditional banking authorities are struggling to control the rise of Cryptocurrencies, and this is the reason why they are finding ways to introduce Central Bank Digital Currencies at the earliest.
CBDC will bring financial stability. It will act as a new payment technology soon and is expected to solve the diminishing use of cash in various countries.
Now, here are several pros of Central Bank Digital Currencies, and these are described below:
i). Programmability:
Central Bank Digital Currencies are designed as ‘programmable money,’ and this includes smart contracts that allow the automated execution of payment operations.
ii). Improves cross border payments efficiently:
Once CBDC is launched in your country, you will find an improvement in the cross border or international payments. The wholesale version of Central Bank Digital Currencies limits its use to only monetary institutions and markets.
iii). Improves the efficiency of the payment system:
Another advantage related to CBDC is that it can improve the efficiency of a payment system.
Thus, a CBDC can benefit both wholesale and interbank payments by facilitating quicker settlements and extended settlement hours.
iv). A transition towards a less cash society:
The main aim of Central Bank Digital Currencies is to transform the society into cashless payment systems.
It is expected that there will be no coins or money in the hands of people, and all the money would be exchanged digitally. This signifies that the world is improving towards digital technology.
Cons Of Central Bank Digital Currencies
At the same time, there are various cons of CBDC. The major ones are listed below.
i). Risks to innovation
If Central Bank Digital Currencies are introduced, it can bring a drastic change in the world. Thousands of people will lose all their jobs because CBDC will eliminate the physical barriers related to monetary authorities.
Thus, there will be no role of central banks as everyone will become cashless. All the transactions will take place via digital formats.
ii). Risks to financial stability
There is no doubt that Central Bank Digital Currencies can risk the financial stability of the country. It is estimated that after the launch of CBDC, bank accounts can come to an end, and this can create more pressure on bank deposits.
On the other hand, Central Bank Digital Currencies can destroy private financial bankings completely because people will become cashless.
iii). Risks to financial integrity
Another great risk related to Central Bank Digital Currencies is the financial integrity of the world. At the same time, the identity of individuals should not be revealed to third parties or the government unless directed by the law. You can also visit bitcoinup to get more information about the same.
The Final Thoughts
Central Bank Digital Currencies can reach millions of unbanked people across the world, and this brings mainstream finance to them efficiently. It is a new digital version of traditional currencies that can help people to become cashless. Thus, the above-listed factors are the major pros and cons of CBDC that are still in the arguments.