Digital currencies and fintech

• Cash and COVID-19: What happened in 2021

  Staff Discussion Paper 2022-8 Heng Chen, Walter Engert, Kim Huynh, Daneal O’Habib, Joy Wu, Julia Zhu

  Using data from the Bank Note Distribution System and consumer surveys, we find that bank notes in circulation remained high through 2021. Canadians continued to rely on electronic methods of payment, but a significant share also continued using cash for payments.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Bank notes, Central bank research, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Digital currencies and fintech, Econometric and statistical methods JEL Code(s): C, C1, C12, C9, E, E4, O, O5, O54

• Equilibrium in Two-Sided Markets for Payments: Consumer Awareness and the Welfare Cost of the Interchange Fee

  Staff Working Paper 2022-15 Kim Huynh, Gradon Nicholls, Oleksandr Shcherbakov

  We construct and estimate a structural two-stage model of equilibrium in a market for payments in order to quantify the network externalities and identify the main determinants of consumer and merchant decisions.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Bank notes, Digital currencies and fintech, Econometric and statistical methods, Financial services JEL Code(s): C, C5, C51, D, D1, D12, E, E4, E42, L, L1, L14
• March 16, 2022

  Bank of Canada and Massachusetts Institute of Technology announce joint Central Bank Digital Currency collaboration

  Media Relations Ottawa, Ontario

  The Bank of Canada and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) today announced an agreement to collaborate on a twelve-month research project on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).

  Content Type(s): Press, Press releases Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech

• What Drives Bitcoin Fees? Using Segwit to Assess Bitcoin's Long-Run Sustainability

  Staff Working Paper 2022-2 Colin Brown, Jonathan Chiu, Thorsten Koeppl

  We explore what drives transaction fees in the Bitcoin system and consider whether Bitcoin can remain tamper proof in the long run.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, G, G2

• Best Before? Expiring Central Bank Digital Currency and Loss Recovery

  Staff Working Paper 2021-67 Charles M. Kahn, Maarten van Oordt, Yu Zhu

  We consider introducing an expiry date for offline digital currency balances. Consumers whose digital cash expired would automatically receive the funds back into their online account. This functionality could increase demand for digital cash, with the time to expiry playing a key role.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech JEL Code(s): E, E4, E41, E42

• Predicting the Demand for Central Bank Digital Currency: A Structural Analysis with Survey Data

  Staff Working Paper 2021-65 Jiaqi Li

  How much of a CBDC would Canadian households want to hold, and what design features of a CBDC would they care about?

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Central bank research, Digital currencies and fintech JEL Code(s): E, E5, E50, E58

• Central Bank Digital Currency and Banking: Macroeconomic Benefits of a Cash-Like Design

  Staff Working Paper 2021-63 Jonathan Chiu, Mohammad Davoodalhosseini

  Should a CBDC be more like cash or bank deposits? An interest-bearing, cash-like CBDC not only makes payments more efficient but also increases total demand. This has positive effects on other transactions, inducing more deposit taking and lending and, thus, bank intermediation.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E5, E50, E58

• 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 Topic(s): Debt management, Digital currencies and fintech, Exchange rate regimes, Financial stability, Monetary policy JEL Code(s): E, E4, E41, E42, E5, E52, E58, H, H1, H12, H6, H63

• Bitcoin Adoption and Beliefs in Canada

  Staff Working Paper 2021-60 Daniela Balutel, Christopher Henry, Jorge Vásquez, Marcel Voia

  Using an economic model as well as survey data from the Bank of Canada, we study what factors influence the adoption of Bitcoin in Canada.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Econometric and statistical methods, Economic models JEL Code(s): D, D8, D83, O, O3, O33
• October 18, 2021

  Panel: DC Fintech Week 2021

  

  

  Harnessing Innovation For The Public Interest — Deputy Governor Timothy Lane participates in a panel discussion at DC Fintech Week 2021.

  Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Webcasts Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech