Despite turbulence in the crypto space, interest in blockchain technology and the belief that CBDCs are set to be the foundation of the future global monetary system are at an all-time high.
From China to the European Union (EU), governments worldwide are investing increased amounts of resources into launching their own CBDCs in the near future. In fact, there has been resounding agreement from leading financial institutions which anticipate that CBDCs are set to revolutionise money.
The future of global economy
Over 90 per cent of central banks are exploring ways to incorporate CBDCs into their monetary systems. A recent report by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) even highlighted the structural flaws in cryptocurrencies that make CBDCs a more ideal and viable option.
According to the BIS, CBDCs can “meld new technological capabilities”, which simultaneously removes the associated risks related to unregulated intermediaries used in cryptocurrencies. At the same time, CBDCs can still perform all the features of cryptocurrencies like programmability and tokenisation.
Beyond safer, faster and cheaper payments, CBDCs have the potential to bring new innovations to the fore and empower transformational change at the industry level, benefitting both institutions and retail consumers.
In a joint report led by the BIS, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank for the upcoming G20, CBDCs represent a fundamental shift for global cross-border payments as it enables instant cross-border settlements across time zones and drives payment diversity. This will go a long way to create a more vibrant, resilient and efficient payments ecosystem and disrupt the existing landscape where incumbents dominate the field.
Global associations such as the BIS, IMF and World Bank are not the only ones doing research and experimentation in CBDCs. The CBDC global race is heating up at a regional and national level too, as central banks initiate their own experiments.
Also Read: Could China’s CBDC threaten decentralised cryptocurrencies?
In Asia, we are seeing Singapore leading the region as its Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) embarked on milestone collaborative initiatives, from Project Ubin to Project Dunbar, a follow-up to its earlier project, which is now exploring the viability of multi-CBDCs in global cross-border payments jointly with BIS, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and South African Reserve Bank (SARB).
CBDCs and its many benefits
The benefits of CBDCs do not simply stop at cross-border payments. Domestic wholesale payments stand to benefit from CBDCs through the introduction of Delivery vs Payment (DvP) and atomic settlements of digital assets.
On a global scale, securities settlement processes worldwide have evolved at different speeds due to various reasons resulting in market inefficiencies. This has led to the acceptance and reliance on a delay of 2 days (T+2) to conclude DvP processes.
However, with the convergence of interest in achieving shorter post-trade settlements and the need to source liquidity and align financial records, market participants have been actively working towards a move to T+1 post-trade settlements.
Already at the forefront of finance and technology, R3 recently expanded on its partnership portfolio with their latest involvement in Project Ion, a significant platform led by the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) to realise .
T+0 settlement cycle as well as instant finality in securities settlement. DTCC’s Project Ion will leverage R3’s flagship DLT product, Corda, to enable resilient, secure and scalable settlement service to clients worldwide.
The materialisation of the T+0 concept is already within sight with initiatives such as these, but CBDCs play a significant role in accelerating this movement as CBDCs will ultimately allow financial institutions to enjoy improved efficiency for cross-border payments, 24/7 access to payment systems and the potential for a reduction in settlement and counterparty risks.
Beyond securities settlements, CBDCs can potentially create social impact as it promotes greater financial and digital inclusion through a universal interoperable legal tender payment instrument. Innovations like offline CBDCs can even work similarly to debit and credit cards which creates an innovative way to reframe the notion of money for the average retail user.
One functional option for CBDCs, which is still being explored, is its programmability for retail use. This means that CBDCs can be designed and programmed for specific uses, which differentiate them from fiat or commercial money.
Also Read: How Web3 will revolutionise borderless banking in Southeast Asia
The potential is tremendous as it will likely open up a whole range of financial services for retail users. As IMF Managing Director, Kristialina Georgieva proclaimed, “the history of money is entering a new chapter” indeed.
Leading countries at the forefront of introducing CBDCs
It is no surprise then that many countries in Asia are actively researching, experimenting and implementing CBDCs to enhance payment systems. Most recently, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) introduced its two-phased project that will serve as a platform to bring central banks and central securities depositories (CSDs) from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea together to facilitate associated discussions in the Cross-Border Settlement Infrastructure Forum (CSIF).
This is in addition to the ongoing Project Dunbar, a collaboration between the MAS, BIS, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), which is exploring the use of multi-CBDCs in the clearing and settlement of payments and securities as well as Project Inthanon-LionRock, an initiative between the Bank of Thailand and Hong Kong which has since expanded to include the UAE and China to become a multi-CBDC project in 2021.
One thing is clear from all these initiatives: central banks all around the world are recognising the viability of CBDCs in the payments ecosystem, and they are ready to put in the necessary legwork to make CBDCs the future of money.
Of the advancements made so far, it is significant to see so many emerging economies already looking to launch their own CBDCs. These include Cambodia’s launch of Project Bakong, co-developed by a Japanese fintech company in 2020; Nigeria’s eNaira is issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), although this is currently encountering low demand challenges from merchants due to a scarcity of users and a lack of user knowledge in rural areas.
The race is on, and as countries such as China launch the e-CNY and markets such as Thailand and Hong Kong double down on their research efforts in the digital currency space, the question isn’t who will be the first to implement CBDCs nationally but rather: who will get it right?
From The U.S Treasury to the European Central Bank, governments and central banks worldwide have launched working groups and collaborated on projects to identify best practices and make recommendations for the most efficient path forward. It is also becoming imperative that industry experts are involved to ensure that the path for implementation is smooth and sustainable.
Many industry players are well-positioned to contribute their expertise and combine the principles of traditional finance with blockchain technology to produce groundbreaking and innovative solutions to support ongoing regional and government-led initiatives. With the knowledge of the frameworks and rules that guide the world of traditional finance, these players have been at the forefront of setting industry best practices and building new frameworks to advance CBDCs in the region.
As a leader in distributed software and enterprise technology for regulated industries, R3 plays an active role in providing advisory services to central banks across APAC, which includes the Bank of Thailand, which has been in partnership with R3 since 2020, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the MAS and RBA.
This is in tandem with its ongoing work with regional institutions such as the ADB. R3 has also been building a resource base on CBDC development which spans white papers, toolkits such as its Digital Currency Accelerator that is powered by Corda, and a digital currencies hub to cover the latest in the industry.
Final thoughts
The global CBDC race is only in its infancy. Though many have already launched their CBDCs, there is still some way to go before we see worldwide implementation. The onus now falls on both private and public entities to work in partnership with each other to shape the future of money and the global economy.
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This article was first September 5, 2022
The post Who is leading the global CBDC race? appeared first on e27.