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Business and Economics > Finance: General

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 17 items for :

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Cover FinTech Notes
Private Law Aspects of Token-Based Central Bank Digital Currencies
Marianne Bechara
,
Wouter Bossu
,
Amira Rasekh
,
Chia Yi Tan
, and
Akihiro Yoshinaga
In designing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), it is imperative that central banks carefully consider its legal foundations. As with any form of money, CBDCs require a solid basis under public and private law to provide it with the necessary legal certainty and political support that will underpin its wide circulation. This Fintech Note examines the private law aspects of token-based CBDC primarily intended for retail use. It follows a previous IMF working paper that examines the legal foundations of CBDC under central bank law and its treatment under monetary law—the main public law aspects of CBDC.
Keywords:
Token-Based CBDC; Private Law; Central Bank Digital Currencies; Legal Framework; Ownership Rights; Transfer Mechanisms; Financial Intermediaries
Cover FinTech Notes
Estimating the Impact of Digital Money on Cross-Border Flows: Scenario Analysis Covering the Intensive Margin
Eugenio M Cerutti
,
Melih Firat
, and
Hector Perez-Saiz
Digital money and digital payments innovations have the potential for improving cross-border payments by reducing costs, enhancing speed, and improving transparency. This note performs an empirical analysis of the potential impact of digital money on the volume and transaction costs of cross-border payments, with a focus on the short-term intensive margin. The market of cross-border payments is very large, with retail transactions having a low share of the total but the highest transaction costs, particularly for remittances. Our illustrative scenarios assume an estimated 60 percent reduction in transaction costs and short-term elasticities to changes in costs estimated from remittances data. The results show two outcomes. First, the cross-border volume increases could be sizable for countries that are large remittance recipients and face expensive transaction costs. Second, even with a large drop in transaction costs, the short-term rise in global cross-border transaction volumes could be limited as a result of the low transaction costs of the wholesale segment. Moving outside the short-term intensive margin, the impact could potentially be much larger as digital currencies and other digital payments innovations—together with tokenization of assets on programmable platforms—could move the financial system into a transformative new era by fostering financial development and promoting further inclusion across borders.
Keywords:
Digital money; cross-border payments; transaction costs; digital payments; payments innovation; cross-border payment; scenario analysis; IMF Fintech Brownbag Seminar; IMF seminar; Remittances; Central Bank digital currencies; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Correspondent banking; Global
Cover FinTech Notes
Tokenization and Financial Market Inefficiencies
Itai Agur
,
German Villegas Bauer
,
Tommaso Mancini-Griffoli
,
Maria Soledad Martinez Peria
, and
Brandon Tan
Most financial assets are digital today. Tomorrow, they may be tokenized. Tokenization implies recording and transferring assets on a widely shared and trusted digital ledger that can be programmed. Interest in tokenization is strong and experiments abound, but what are the consequences of this new trend for financial markets? This note introduces a taxonomy and a conceptual framework centered on market inefficiencies to evaluate this question. Some inefficiencies could decline across the asset life cycle. Others would remain, however, and new ones could emerge. Issuing, servicing, and redeeming assets might involve fewer intermediaries and thus become cheaper. The costs of trading assets may also decrease as tokenization lowers some counterparty risks and search frictions and offers flexibility in settlement. Additionally, greater competition among brokers could lower transaction fees. However, tokenization may amplify shocks if it induces institutions to become more interconnected and hold lower liquidity buffers or higher leverage, potentially jeopardizing financial stability. Programs themselves may introduce new risks related to strings of contingent contracts or faulty code. While competition may grow among financial intermediaries, the provision of market infrastructure could become more concentrated due to network effects.
Keywords:
Tokenization; central banks; asset lifecycle; financial markets; financial asset market friction; B. market infrastructure investment externality; financial market inefficiency; IMF Library; Note 2025/001; D. knowledge externality; Bonds; Smart contracts; Securities markets; Liquidity; Blockchain and DLT; Global
Cover FinTech Notes
Positioning Central Bank Digital Currency in the Payments Landscape
Manisha Patel
,
Safari Kasiyanto
, and
Andre Reslow
The IMF is frequently approached by central banks seeking guidance on the balance between central bank digital currency (CBDC), fast payment systems (FPS), and electronic money (e-money) solutions. Common questions arising include: Do central banks need a CBDC when already equipped with other well-established digital payments systems? For central banks with less-developed solutions: Should central banks establish one system over the other? This discussion is then compounded by the reality of constrained resources. This note focuses on the comparison of retail CBDC—that is, the presence of digital central bank money available to the general public—with FPS and e-money systems from a payments perspective, and how CBDC may support a jurisdiction’s vision on payments in the digital age. The note does not seek to advocate for CBDC over an FPS or e-money. The balance of arguments for any one system may change over time, and the choice may not be mutually exclusive in many jurisdictions. In the future, it is possible to envisage the coexistence of an FPS, e-money, and CBDC in many payment landscapes across the world. Through good design, all three systems could meet central bank objectives such as payments efficiency and supporting financial inclusion; some benefits are unique to CBDC, such as maintaining access to central bank money in an increasingly digitalized age. While central banks will make choices unique to their circumstances, it remains important for central banks to establish a strategy that allows them (at minimum) to monitor trends and core benefits of multiple solutions as developments occur, to allow them to plan, adapt, and drive developments in their payments landscape.
Keywords:
CBDC; Central bank digital currency; central bank; fast payments; FPS; e-money; digital currencies; digital payments; payment systems; Annex I. payment system case; positioning central bank digital currency; IMF Fintech Note 2024/006; infrastructure provider; payment infrastructure; Central Bank digital currencies; Monetary base; Digital financial services; Global
Cover FinTech Notes
Central Bank Digital Currency Adoption: Inclusive Strategies for Intermediaries and Users
Tayo Tunyathon Koonprasert
,
Shiho Kanada
,
Natsuki Tsuda
, and
Edona Reshidi
Among the countries that have launched central bank digital currency (CBDC) or are conducting large-scale pilots, adoption remains slow and limited due to various challenges such as lack of public awareness and trust, preference for existing payment methods, and inadequate incentives for intermediaries. Central banks cannot take it for granted that CBDC, once launched, will be adopted and scaled up easily. Forming part of the CBDC Virtual Handbook, this paper aims to encourage policymakers to consider CBDC adoption early on, by arguing that successful CBDC adoption hinges not only on technical readiness and operational robustness, but also on strategic policy and design choices that target end-user and intermediary involvement from the outset. The paper introduces The REDI Framework which outlines various regulatory strategies, education/communication initiatives, design/deployment choices, and incentive mechanisms to prepare for CBDC adoption.
Keywords:
Central bank digital currency; CBDC; Adoption; Intermediaries; Incentives; central bank digital currency adoption; CBDC adoption; IMF Fintech Note 2024/005; eAUD payment; central bank of Peru; Central Bank digital currencies; Currencies; Payment systems; Digital financial services; Financial inclusion; Global; Africa
Cover FinTech Notes
Central Bank Digital Currency Data Use and Privacy Protection
Kieran P Murphy
,
Tao Sun
,
Yong Sarah Zhou
,
Natsuki Tsuda
,
Nicolas Zhang
,
Victor Budau
,
Frankosiligi Solomon
,
Kathleen Kao
,
Morana Vucinic
, and
Kristina Miggiani
This note offers a framework to help countries navigate, as well as tools to help them manage, the trade-offs between CBDC data use and privacy protection. It addresses retail CBDC, as data access and privacy-preserving considerations in a wholesale environment are similar to those of the traditional RTGS systems. It emphasizes the role of institutional arrangements, data collection, access and storage policies, design choices, and technological solutions. At a given level of preference for privacy, central banks can facilitate better use of CBDC data through robust transparency and accountability arrangements, sound policies, and judicious adoption of privacy-by-design approaches including the use of privacy-enhancing technologies.
Keywords:
CBDC; central banks; data use; privacy protection; technology; trust; CBDC data; CBDC design; CBDC stakeholder; IMF Fintech Note 2024/004; Central Bank digital currencies; Data processing; Payment systems; Digital financial services; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Global; Europe; data privacy
Cover FinTech Notes
Central Bank Digital Currency and Other Digital Payments in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Regional Survey
Luca A Ricci
,
Calixte Ahokpossi
,
Anna Belianska
,
Khushboo Khandelwal
,
Sunwoo Lee
,
Grace B Li
,
Yibin Mu
,
Saad N Quayyum
,
Silvia G Nunez
,
Jack J Ree
,
Marcos Rietti Souto
, and
Felix F. Simione
This Fintech Note reports key findings from the Sub-Saharan Africa Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and Digital Payments Survey, shedding light on the motivations, benefits, and challenges of CBDC adoption, as well as the developments of digital private money and crypto assets in sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes the pivotal role of collaboration and shared knowledge in navigating the intricate landscape of digital currencies and assets in sub-Saharan Africa. As this evolving digital frontier is explored, the experiences and aspirations of the region’s central banks, as expressed in the survey, will help harness the potential for digital currencies, assets, and payments, and foster cooperation among countries in sub-Saharan Africa. A forthcoming IMF Departmental Paper will focus on key issues for countries in sub-Saharan Africa pertaining to CBDCs, private digital payments, and crypto assets. It will provide a deeper discussion of the benefits, costs, and risks of these digital payment systems and present policy options to enhance financial digital development and inclusion, while safeguarding macroeconomic and financial stability.
Keywords:
central bank digital currency; e-Money; mobile money; crypto assets; fast payment systems; digital payments; Sub-Saharan Africa CBDC survey; IMF Fintech Note 2024/001; IMF Library; CBDC benefit; CBDC design; Central Bank digital currencies; Digital financial services; Mobile banking; Payment systems; Sub-Saharan Africa
Cover FinTech Notes
Central Bank Digital Currency's Role in Promoting Financial Inclusion
Ashley Lannquist
and
Brandon Tan
Financial inclusion is a key policy objective that central banks, especially those in emerging and low-income countries, are considering for retail central bank digital currency (CBDC). If properly designed to address the barriers to financial inclusion, CBDCs have the opportunity to gain acceptance by the financially excluded for digital payments. CBDC can then serve as an entry point to the broader formal financial system. CBDC has special aspects that may benefit financial inclusion, such as being a risk-free and widely acceptable form of digital money, availability for offline payments, and potentially lower costs and greater accessibility. However, CBDC is not a panacea to financial inclusion, and additional experience is needed to fully understand its potential impact.
Keywords:
Central bank digital currency; financial inclusion; digital inclusion; digital payments; central bank digital currency's role; IMF Fintech Note 2023/011; IMF Library; publication order; publications service; Central Bank digital currencies; Digital financial services; Payment systems; Global; Sub-Saharan Africa
Cover FinTech Notes
Implications of Central Bank Digital Currencies for Monetary Policy Transmission
Ms. Mitali Das
,
Mr. Tommaso Mancini Griffoli
,
Fumitaka Nakamura
,
Ms. Julia Otten
,
Gabriel Soderberg
,
Mr. Juan Sole
, and
Brandon Tan
This fintech note presents an analysis of the implications of central bank digital currency (CBDC) for monetary policy. In our framework, the implications of CBDC issuance on monetary policy are intermediated by its impact on key parts of the macroeconomic environment. The note also makes a distinction between “level effects”—whereby the introduction of CBDCs could tighten or loosen financial conditions as a shock—and “transmission effects,” whereby CBDCs change the impact of a given monetary policy shock on output, employment, and inflation. In general, the effects of CBDCs on monetary policy transmission are expected to be relatively small in normal times; however, these effects can be more significant in an environment with low interest rates or financial market stress.
Keywords:
Central bank digital currencies; monetary policy; monetary policy transmission; monetary policy transition; IMF Fintech Note 2023/010; FINTECH note; CBDC issuance; Central bank policy rate; Financial inclusion; Bank deposits; Open market operations; Global
Cover FinTech Notes
How Should Central Banks Explore Central Bank Digital Currency?
Gabriel Soderberg
,
Mr. John Kiff
,
Hervé Tourpe
,
Ms. Marianne Bechara
,
Stephanie Forte
,
Kathleen Kao
,
Ashley Lannquist
,
Tao Sun
, and
Akihiro Yoshinaga
Digitalization of the economy provides both challenges and opportunities. Central banks should ensure that they have the capacity to continue to meet their policy objectives in the digital age. It is in this context that central bank digital currency (CBDC) should be evaluated. If designed appropriately, CBDCs could allow central banks to modernize payment systems and future-proof central bank money as the pace and shape of digitalization continues to evolve. However, the decision to proceed with CBDC exploration and an eventual launch would need to be jurisdiction specific, depending on the degree of digitalization of the economy, the legal and regulatory frameworks, and the central bank’s internal capacity. This paper proposes a dynamic decision-making framework under which the central bank can make decisions under uncertainty. A phased and iterative approach could allow central banks to adjust the pace, scale, and scope of their CBDC projects as the domestic and international environment changes.
Keywords:
Central bank digital currency; project management; digitalization; payments; IMF Fintech Note 2023/008; IMF Library; Fintech note; decision-making framework; publication order; CBDC project; Central Bank digital currencies; Payment systems; Commercial banks; Currencies; Sub-Saharan Africa; Global