The Impact of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) on the Global Economy

Blockchain technology adoption is now widespread enough for countries to consider floating digital versions of their currencies and tokenizing them on blockchain networks. A 2022 survey by the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) concluded that 93% of central banks are exploring CBDCs.

A CBDC offers significant benefits to any country by expanding access to financial products. It also allows for financial inclusion, making it easy for the country’s unbanked and underbanked populations to access financial services without constraints typical of the traditional system. Major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) have already seen extended usage across multiple sectors, from payments in finance, to online casinos in the entertainment industry, where a player interested in a fast or instant transaction can deposit, bet, or withdraw using crypto. With enough development and eventual adoption, CBDCs may also become as ubiquitous.

What is a CBDC?

A CBDC is a digital representation of a country’s fiat currency on a blockchain. It is intended to be a cash alternative designed on a blockchain that combines fiat with the perks of blockchain issuance. Like fiat, central banks issue and control CBDCs, ensuring stability and regulatory compliance.

CBDCs are mainly issued in two forms: wholesale and retail. While the wholesale CBDC is restricted to interbank settlements among financial institutions, the retail CBDC is available to the general public for daily transactions.

Global Impacts of CBDCs

Continuous issuance and increased adoption of CBDCs have significant implications on the global economy and can offer the following benefits:

1. Remittances and Cross-Border Transactions: CBDCs can simplify cross-border remittances by removing the need for intermediaries. The sender and receiver can both send and receive tokens via blockchain technology, which makes transactions instantaneous. In addition, the elimination of intermediaries ensures that transaction charges are minimal. This ease supports global cross-border trades and facilitates transactions between businesses and customers.
2. Commercial Banks: Some CBDC dissidents have argued that adoption could be detrimental to commercial banks. If enough people start transacting via CBDCs, patronage of commercial banks may reduce significantly. On the one hand, users may gradually avoid commercial banks and find other options for deposits, lending, and other traditional banking functions. On the other hand, the situation may force these institutions to adapt and focus on innovation that could birth new business models.
3. Financial Inclusion: Cryptocurrencies have always been touted as a solution for limited financial inclusion. Since anyone can trade a CBDC with a smart device and an internet connection, these tokens accelerate financial inclusion goals set by the government. In general, the rise in inclusivity can foster economic growth and tackle financial inequality.
4. Implementation of Monetary Policy: Via CBDCs, central banks can directly implement monetary policies to power economic growth. These institutions can adequately measure the impact of a policy by directly distributing CBDCs to individual recipients instead of going through intermediaries. 
5. Privacy and Undue Control: CBDCs may negatively impact privacy standards and could be used as a surveillance tool. Industries like online gambling, which thrive on customer privacy, may be reluctant to adopt CBDCs if the risk exists that the government may monitor customer bets and bankrolls. Despite its benefits, CBDC transactions are traceable and easier to control or monitor than cash. To attract willing users, central banks must address these issues and properly balance the need for transparency with protecting users’ privacy rights.

Challenges to Global CBDC Adoption

1. Security Risks: CBDC issuance opens central banks and end users to cybersecurity and fraud risks that are sometimes rampant in the blockchain technology sector. Although blockchains are mostly secure, the industry has had its fair share of security breaches.
2. International Ease of Use: Proper use of central bank digital currencies requires some coordination and cooperation among countries and international regulators. Unfortunately, this standardization could be challenging to achieve because of the existing standards in each country. Creating a robust framework that can be integrated by nearly any country can prove difficult.
3. Tech Infrastructure: Widespread CBDC usage requires all issuers and intended users to adopt and maintain robust tech infrastructure. The framework used should be capable of handling a large volume of simultaneous transactions with minimal downtimes and little to no risk. Unfortunately, satisfying this requirement can be very expensive.

Conclusion

CBDCs can potentially further disrupt traditional finance. These tokens can improve payment systems, support financial inclusion, and help with the effective implementation of monetary policies. However, successful execution must be robust and accommodate several factors, including challenges related to technology and public acceptance. In general, central banks must proceed cautiously, as signs of undue control may deter users from supporting proper adoption.