Introduction
CBDC is a term that is heard everywhere these days from political forums, to talk shows, to social media platforms. This article is all about CBDCs and their main classifications.
What is a CBDC?
CBDCs stand for Central Bank Digital Currencies. They are a digitized version of a fiat currency that is usually issued by a Central Bank as a legal tender.
Central banks around the world have started to acknowledge the technical advantages of blockchain technology and have adopted some of its aspects to update the current financial system.
In some words, CBDCs are legal tenders that are issued on a private blockchain network that is controlled by a Central Bank.
Types of CBDCs
There are two primary types of CBDCs given as under:
Retail CBDCs
Retail CBDCs are issued by a Central bank for usage as a fiat currency among the citizens. For example, Federal Reserve the Central bank in USA may issue a digital dollar for consumers to use in place of regular paper money in the region.
It is possible by the way of distribution through nationalized payments and wallet application. This app will allow citizens to make payments and store their retail CBDC holdings.
Wholesale CBDCs
Wholesale CBDCs are substitute for foreign current accounts for a given country in another Central Bank. Central banks need to open a reserve currency account using USD or any other fiat option to carryout international trades.
However, Wholesale CBDCs remove the need for a reserve trade currency and allow Central banks to deal directly with each other to settle import and export trade contracts. They are also used for big-scale interbank transactions.
Comparison Between Retail and Wholesale CBDCs
Here are some of distinct differences between Wholesale and Retail CBDCs:
Target Audience
The target audience for retail CBDCs is limited to citizens and local businesses. Companies may pay their employees and people can perform grocery shopping and all other transactions using retail CBDCs.
On the contrary, Wholesale CBDCs are reserved for conducting massive international trades and settle gigantic interbank settlements.
Transaction Scale
Transaction scale for retail CBDC is usually small-scale. On the other hand, Wholesale CBDCs are limited to massive trade accounts and bill settlement rather than usual payment dynamics.
User Access
Retail CBDCs are accessible to citizens and commercial enterprises of a given country. It means that all the transactions in a national economy that were done using a fiat currency before may switch to a retail access.
On the other hand, wholesale CBDCs are only accessible to mega financial enterprises and Central Bank. The businesses that are actively participating in international trade deals on behalf of their nation may access wholesale CBDCs.
Data Privacy
Retails CBDCs are often criticized for taking control of the financial history and other data of the users. With retail CBDCs Central banks can have direct line about all the information related to individual account holders.
At the same time, Central Banks may implement stricter policy compliance rules on the account holder as per their discretion. On the other hand, Wholesale CBDCs ensure privacy for the corporation and governments that are using them to make transactions.
Technical Infrastructure
Technical infrastructure for Retail CBDCs and Wholesale CBDCs are very different. They both provide simple interfaces for best usability. However, retail CBDCs are designed for everyday use and they include all the reporting requirements as ordained by the Central Bank.
On the other side, wholesale CBDCs are designed to have features that make them more feasible for utilization in international trade account dealings.
Utility
Central banks may use retail CBDCs to implement monetary policy with a quicker effect such as handling inflation and managing interest rates.
On the other hand, wholesale CBDCs may be an instrument for the government to monitor some aspects of fiscal policy such as budget allocation and debt management, etc.
Conclusion
CBDCs have sparked a conversation among citizens and legislatures alike around the globe. Some favour its technical incentives while others rebuke it for perceived dangers. However, CBDCs are a natural evolution for the existing monetary system.
It is important to raise question about its associated risks while keeping an open mind towards its innovative benefits.
