The interpretation of CBDC within an endogenous money framework

Central bank digital currency (CBDC) has increasingly received attention among policymakers and academics. From a theoretical perspective, the introduction of a CBDC arouses long-standing questions, foreseeing the possibility for the private (non-financial) sector to access the central bank reserves. The aim of this paper is to strengthen the understanding of the CBDC through the Endogenous Money Theory (EMT). The paper examines the balance sheets of the central bank, commercial banks, and the non-financial private system, tracking all the assets and liabilities of the macro-agents involved in the introduction of a CBDC. It explains the logical chain of relationships starting with the creation of bank loans from commercial banks, transformed into deposits, and ultimately converted into CBDC. Such a chain of relationships is also explained by amending the four quadrants model proposed by many post-Keynesian scholars.     

Directional predictability from central bank digital currency to cryptocurrencies and stablecoins

This paper investigates the interaction and the directional predictability between the central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and the major cryptocurrencies and stablecoins during the period between 17 May, 2019–31 December, 2021. To this aim, we employ the "Cross-Quantilogram” model, to examine how and whether the traditional digital currencies react to the CBDC uncertainty and attention shocks. Our findings suggest that CBDC uncertainty index is negatively related to cryptocurrency and stablecoin returns. Furthermore, the CBDC attention index is negatively associated with Bitcoin, Ethereum, XPR and Terra USD, however, it is positively related to Tether, Binance, USD Coin and Dai. Our results are useful for regulators, investors and policy makers, to understand and assess the potential effect of CBDC adoption news on the volatility of the stablecoins and traditional cryptos.     

Central bank digital currencies and the international payment system: The demise of the US dollar?

The international monetary system is marked by a hierarchical relationship between currencies, where the US dollar is widely used. Recently, central banks have started to launch Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), which, in contrast to cryptocurrencies, are issued by monetary authorities. The purpose of this paper is (i) to analyse and explain domestic retail CBDCs in detail, and (ii) to assess whether the creation of CBDCs poses a threat to the US dollar as the key currency of the international monetary and financial system. It will be argued that, despite the innovations a CBDC may bring, the role of the US dollar will not be affected by the introduction of multiple CBDCs (mCBDCs) alone. Although mCBDC arrangements might decentralise the international payment system, the underlying structures supporting today's unipolar system would not automatically change. It is crucial that central banks work together to establish an alternative international monetary system.     

Economic uncertainty,central bank digital currency,and negative interest rate policy

The COVID-19 outbreak has brought unprecedented social attention to economic uncertainty and negative interest rate policy (NIRP). How does uncertainty affect economic activity, and how effective is a NIRP based on central bank digital currency (CBDC)? To answer the two questions, we constructed a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model that accommodates sticky prices and wages. The results indicated: (i) Economic uncertainty has substantially reduced investment, output, wage, and loans, which increases unemployment risk. In the short term, it has triggered impulsive consumption by households, while consumption has fallen into a slump in the long run. (ii) After suffering an uncertainty shock, the economy entered short-term stagflation and long-term deflation. The short-term stagflation was mainly caused by resident wage adjustment, and the long-term deflation was due to the decline in effective demand caused by unemployment risk. (iii) CBDC could eliminate the zero lower bound (ZLB) constraint, thereby improving the effectiveness of NIRP. Compared with traditional currency, CBDC-based NIRP could more effectively smooth macroeconomic fluctuations and alleviate the negative impact of an uncertainty shock, which is more conducive to restoring market confidence and promoting economic recovery.     

Central bank digital currency and the effectiveness of negative interest rate policy: A DSGE analysis

Implementing a negative interest rate policy (NIRP) in the traditional fiat system is less effective than desired because of the zero lower bound (ZLB) constraint on interest rates and the cash barrier. Would this problem be solved if a new form of currency was introduced, i.e., central bank digital currency (CBDC), in the economy? To answer this question, we construct a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model to analyze the effectiveness of NIRP upon the introduction of CBDC. The results suggest that: (i) The CBDC can eliminate the ZLB constraint and stabilize the economic fluctuations caused by NIRP. (ii) The central bank can implement NIRP by directly adjusting the interest rate of digital currency to stimulate consumption, investment, and output and to accelerate macroeconomic recovery. (iii) Welfare analysis shows that the central bank can effectively choose different NIRP rules according to the economic objectives.     

Macro-financial implications of central bank digital currencies

The considerable deployment of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) is imminent, as its interest has attracted the whole world. However, CBDCs faces several political, technological, and legal challenges. We add a few more challenges that have not received much attention and summarize them in the extant literature. We then emphasize a broad version of money to examine its likely impact on financial stability. Moreover, using time series data of three leading economies and replying to past episodes’ evidence of financial innovation, the historical behaviour to incorporate the impact of CBDCs, and the velocity of circulation, we scrutinize the hypothetical influence of CBDCs on financial stability and inflation. This study employs McCallum’s policy rule based on money growth, which deals with monetary policy. Our simulations indicate that the CBDCs do not produce higher inflation while setting financial stability at risk. This study also suggests the necessary policy implications.