How Crypto and CBDCs Can Use Less Energy Than Existing Payment Systems
Environmentally conscious design can make a major difference in the energy efficiency of digital currencies.
Making The Digital Money Revolution Work for All
By Tobias Adrian and Tommaso Mancini-Griffoli
History moves in uneven steps. Just as the telegraph erased time and distance in the 19th century, today’s innovations in digital money may bring significant changes in the way we lead our lives. The shift to electronic payments and social interactions brought on by the pandemic may cause similarly rapid and widespread transformations. […]
Cryptoassets as National Currency? A Step Too Far
By Tobias Adrian and Rhoda Weeks-Brown
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
New digital forms of money have the potential to provide cheaper and faster payments, enhance financial inclusion, improve resilience and competition among payment providers, and facilitate cross-border transfers. […]
An Even-handed Approach to Crypto-Assets
April 16, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)
Healthcare companies are studying how to use the technology behind crypto assets to maintain confidential medical data (BSIphotos/Newscom).
The dizzying gyrations of crypto-assets such as Bitcoin invite comparisons with the tulip mania that swept Holland in the 17th century and the recent dot-com bubble. With more than 1,600 crypto-assets in circulation, it seems inevitable that many will not survive the process of creative destruction.
In my blog last month, I looked at the dark side of crypto-assets, including their potential use for money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Here, I want to examine the promise they offer. A judicious look at crypto-assets should lead us to neither crypto-condemnation nor crypto-euphoria. […]
Addressing the Dark Side of the Crypto World
March 13, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), baˈhasa indoneˈsia (Indonesian), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)
The same reason crypto-assets like Bitcoin are so appealing is also what makes them dangerous (iStock by GettyImages).
Whether Bitcoin’s value goes up or Bitcoin’s value goes down, people around the world are asking the same question: What exactly is the potential of crypto-assets?
The technology behind these assets—including blockchain—is an exciting advancement that could help revolutionize fields beyond finance. It could, for example, power financial inclusion by providing new, low-cost payment methods to those who lack bank accounts and in the process empower millions in low-income countries. […]
Democratizing the Money Market
By IMFBlog
May 26, 2017
Just as technology is changing the way we live and work, it also affects the way we use and move our money. In this podcast, lawyer and bitcoin expert Patrick Murck of Harvard University tells us that financial technology, or fintech, is poised to revolutionize the way the world does business.
Fintech—A Brave New World for the Financial Sector?
By Versions in: عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), and Español (Spanish)
From smartphones to cloud computing, technology is rapidly changing virtually every facet of society, including communications, business and government. The financial world is no exception.
As a result, the financial world stands at a critical juncture. Yes, the widespread adoption of new technologies, such as blockchain-based systems, offers many potential benefits. But it also gives rise to new risks, including risks to financial stability. That causes challenges for financial regulators, a subject I addressed at the 2017 World Government Summit in Dubai.