Tag Archives: Libra

What’s left? The new plans envision Several stablecoins tied to existing fiat currencies rather than (or in addition to) to the originally planned currency basket. No more “permissionless” transactions, no more “censorship resistance.” Vetting of new wallets by the operator (KYC, AML). The new Libra White Paper. Teunis Brosens and Carlo Cozucco in ING’s THINK. Kiran Stacey and Hannah Murphy in the FT. Philip Sandner and Jonas Gross in Medium.

Econs (a non-profit project of the communications department of the Russian central bank), February 13, 2020. HTML. Russian version of my VoxEU column on digital money and CBDC. What are we actually talking about? What do we know? And what should policymakers do? I discuss the following points: Finance has been digital forever – what’s new about ‘digital money’? Does the nature of money change? What is central bank digital currency? What is the link between CBDC and the blockchain? Would...

VoxEU, February 3, 2020. HTML. What are we actually talking about? What do we know? And what should policymakers do? I discuss the following points: Finance has been digital forever – what’s new about ‘digital money’? Does the nature of money change? What is central bank digital currency? What is the link between CBDC and the blockchain? Would CBDC have macroeconomic effects? Would CBDC foster bank disintermediation and bank runs? Why consider CBDC at all? What opportunities does CBDC...

The Korean newspaper Workers cites the VoxEU column in which I argued that “Libra paves the way for CBDC.”

There is widespread international interest in CBDC, Libra, and the like. E.g., my VoxEU column on Libra and CBDC is discussed on the Czech news platform patria.cz. And my JME paper with Markus Brunnermeier is discussed on the Turkish site digitalage.com.tr.

My VoxEU column now also on finews and World News Monitor, September 17, 2019. Digital currencies involve tradeoffs. Libra resolves them less favorably than other projects, and less favorably than CBDC. When confronted with the choice between the status quo and a new financial architecture with CBDC, most central banks have responded cautiously. But Libra or its next best replica will take this choice off the table – the status quo ceases to be an option. The new choice for monetary...

VoxEU, September 12, 2019. HTML. Digital currencies involve tradeoffs. Libra resolves them less favorably than other projects, and less favorably than CBDC. When confronted with the choice between the status quo and a new financial architecture with CBDC, most central banks have responded cautiously. But Libra or its next best replica will take this choice off the table – the status quo ceases to be an option. The new choice for monetary authorities and regulators will be one between...

Different aspects of the Libra proposal that various authors have emphasized: Jameson Lopp on OneZero: A “database of programmable resources;” Move; “[p]erhaps the network as a whole can switch to proof of stake, but in order for the stablecoin peg/basket to be maintained, some set of entities must keep a bridge open to the traditional financial system. This will be a persistent point of centralized control via the Libra Association”; not a blockchain, the “data structure of the ledger...

NZZ, 10 July 2019, with Corinne Zellweger-Gutknecht. PDF. Libra is supposed to be backed; the returns on the securities backing it are going to be distributed among the Libra partners; and Libra’s price is supposed to be managed by a network of market makers. We don’t know much more. Will market makers have the incentive to deliver? See also the longer article in Jusletter.

Jusletter, 1 July 2019, with Corinne Zellweger-Gutknecht. PDF. Libra is supposed to be backed; the returns on the securities backing it are going to be distributed among the Libra partners; and Libra’s price is supposed to be managed by a network of market makers. We don’t know much more. Will market makers have the incentive to deliver?