Crypto ‘Money’: Perspective of a Couple of Canadian Central Bankers Staff discussion paper 2019-1 James Chapman, Carolyn A. Wilkins The market for cryptoassets has exploded in size in the 10 years since bitcoin was launched. The technology underlying cryptoassets, blockchain, has also been held up as a technology that promises to transform entire industries. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): E, E4, E41, E42, E5, E51, E58, H, H4, P, P4, P43 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Money and payments, Cash and bank notes, Digital assets and fintech, Payment and financial market infrastructures
Revisiting the Monetary Sovereignty Rationale for CBDCs Staff discussion paper 2021-17 Skylar Brooks One argument for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) is that without them, private and foreign digital monies could displace domestic currencies, threatening the central bank’s monetary policy and lender of last resort capabilities. I revisit this monetary sovereignty rationale and offer a wider view—one that considers a broader set of currency functions and captures important cross-country variation. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): E, E4, E41, E42, E5, E52, E58, H, H1, H12, H6, H63 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Money and payments, Digital assets and fintech
Unintended consequences of liquidity regulation Staff analytical note 2025-28 Omar Abdelrahman, Josef Schroth When a bank holds a lot of safe assets, it is well situated to deal with funding stress. But when all banks hold a lot of safe assets, a pecuniary externality implies that their (wholesale) funding costs increase. This reduces banks’ ability to hold capital buffers and thus, paradoxically, increases the frequency of funding stress. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): E, E4, E44, E6, G, G2, G21, G28 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial system regulation and oversight
Following the Money: Evidence for the Portfolio Balance Channel of Quantitative Easing Staff working paper 2018-33 Itay Goldstein, Jonathan Witmer, Jing Yang Recent research suggests that quantitative easing (QE) may affect a broad range of asset prices through a portfolio balance channel. Using novel security-level holding data of individual US mutual funds, we establish evidence that portfolio rebalancing occurred both within and across funds. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E5, E58, G, G2, G23 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation
Order Flow Segmentation, Liquidity and Price Discovery: The Role of Latency Delays Staff working paper 2018-16 Michael Brolley, David Cimon Latency delays—known as “speed bumps”—are an intentional slowing of order flow by exchanges. Supporters contend that delays protect market makers from high-frequency arbitrage, while opponents warn that delays promote “quote fading” by market makers. We construct a model of informed trading in a fragmented market, where one market operates a conventional order book and the other imposes a latency delay on market orders. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): G, G1, G14, G18 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Market structure
January 23, 2004 Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2003-2004 Cover page Brass Cash Register, 1910 The register is part of the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada. Photographed by Gord Carter, Ottawa. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
The Impact of Potential Retail Central Bank Digital Currency on the Canadian Financial System During a Severe Recession Staff analytical paper 2026-30 Sofia Priazhkina This policy note examines how a non-interest-bearing retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) could affect the financial stability of Canada’s systemically important banks during a severe recession. Stress test results show that the banks remain resilient, maintaining key regulatory ratios even under high CBDC demand. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): E, E4, E44, E5, E58, E6, E61, G, G0, G01, G2, G21, G28 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Models and tools, Economic models, Money and payments, Digital assets and fintech, Structural challenges, Digitalization and productivity
November 16, 2016 Follow the Money: A Canadian Perspective on Financial Globalization Remarks Timothy Lane Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) Waterloo, Ontario Deputy Governor Timothy Lane discusses the benefits and challenges of international capital mobility. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Subject(s): Currency, Digital currency, Financial system, Financial markets, Financial stability, Monetary policy, Economy/Economic growth
December 11, 2007 The Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates: Implications for Monetary Policy Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2007-2008 Claude Lavoie, Stephen Murchison One of the most important factors that must be considered if countries are thinking about lowering the target level of inflation much below 2 per cent is the zero interest bound. Targeting inflation rates that are too low, the authors note, may restrict the ability of monetary policy to respond to economic shocks by limiting the amount by which interest rates can be eased. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles
November 14, 2013 Assessing Financial System Vulnerabilities: An Early Warning Approach Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2013 Gurnain Pasricha, Tom Roberts, Ian Christensen, Brad Howell This article focuses on a quantitative method to identify financial system vulnerabilities, specifically, an imbalance indicator model (IIM) and its application to Canada. An IIM identifies potential vulnerabilities in a financial system by comparing current economic and financial data with data from periods leading up to past episodes of financial stress. It complements other sources of information - including market intelligence and regular monitoring of the economy - that policy-makers use to assess vulnerabilities. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles JEL Code(s): E, E6, E66, G, G0, G01