Bank of Canada exploring the possibilities of a digital currency

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While public interest is their top priority he thinks bitcoin does not have a plausible claim to become the money of the future.

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Timothy Lane, the Deputy Governor of Bank of Canada discussed yesterday about how the Corona pandemic has paved the way for digitalization, and the bank is already exploring what a digital currency ecosystem will look like. Until last year, he was of the opinion that digital currency should be built as part of a contingency plan but the recent development in the digital payments during Corona pandemic has made him think that the world has been changing faster than he expected. They already engaged three university project teams and the reports are about to release today.

Interestingly he thinks bitcoin cannot become the money of the future and is deeply flawed as methods of payment. He is definitely monitoring bitcoin and the echo system closely because he indicates how the recent spike in bitcoin price is driven by a tween from Elon Musk.

Even in this increasingly digital economy, though, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin do not have a plausible claim to become the money of the future. They are deeply flawed as methods of payment—except for illicit transactions like money laundering, where anonymity trumps all other features—because they rely on costly verification methods and their purchasing power is wildly unstable. The recent spike in their prices looks less like a trend and more like a speculative mania—an atmosphere in which one high-profile tweet is enough to trigger a sudden jump in price.

And he thinks only a central bank can guarantee complete safety and issue a digital currency.

In response to the second question, if the public does want a digital cash-like currency, some good reasons illustrate why a central bank—a trusted public institution—should issue it.
Currency is a core part of the Bank’s mandate, and the integrity of our currency is a public good that all Canadians benefit from. Only a central bank can guarantee complete safety and universal access, and with public interest—not profits—as the top priority.

While there is a lot to take from his remarks, one thing I like is that, unlike India, he did not mention about any proposal of banning cryptocurrencies . Of course, if a central bank issues a digital currency, majority of the population will have to adopt to that. But they should also be given the freedom to use cryptocurrencies at their own risk. And most importantly, while all the risk is taken by individuals, the government only benefits by charging a tax from any profit made by individuals. So there is no point in banning cryptocurrencies and forcing the public to use the digital currency.

In my personal opinion, anything forced is not going to be successful. I hope we can get some feedback from our Canadian friends like @drakos. You can read the full post at :

https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2021/02/payments-innovation-beyond-the-pandemic

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14 comments
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While there is a lot to take from his remarks, one thing I like is that, unlike India, he did not mention about any proposal of banning cryptocurrencies

This is important point.

#IndiawantsCrypto

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Exactly - the government imposes tax for profit but risk lies with us. There is not a valid point to ban them, at least not in a country like India - what is the meaning of democracy then !!

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Your post is reblogged and upvoted by me. It is a good post. Thank you @sanjeevm

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Bitcoin is a decentralized digital asset. It is also future money. Why they despise it ?

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Most of the central banks think, its highly volatile and cannot be used as a stable coin, which is not entirely false though.

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It is not a problem for all. Thank you for replying

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BTC/USD much move down or much move up. It is not stable. BTC/USD should move like EUR/USD, GBP/USD, NZD/USD, AUD/USD.

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Exactly - its no more the coin that was in the vision of Satoshi - rather its in Wall Streets. It will slowly classify as a Reserve currency and at some point of time, if a corporate war happens, then it will die.

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After the big companies jumping into crypto its turn for banks....

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