/identity

News and resources on digital identity, trust, biometrics and Secure Customer Authentication.

Discussion
EBAday 2024: The future of CBDCs, tokenised deposits and stablecoin adoption
Jeremy Light

Jeremy Light

  "we must not forget the contribution that retail central bank money has made to monetary and financial stability." The BoE ties itself in knots trying to justify a retail CBDC - in the same speech the deputy governor admits that cash has dropped from around two-thirds of transactions twenty years ago to 14% in 2022. This drop has had no impact on monetary or financial stability and it demonstrates consumers have no preference for central bank money over commercial bank deposits (and I doubt most have any idea of the difference risk profiles of the two). In the past, cash was a source of instability as it provided a mechanism for a bank run, with depositors able to withdraw their savings en masse. Nowadays, if a bank is in trouble depositors are highly unlikely to withdraw cash at scale but instead transfer deposits electronically to other banks (as happened with Northern Rock in 2008) - the banking system may freeze up for a while as banks refuse to lend reserves to each other when large volumes of deposits are transferred between banks, but the total value of deposits in the banking system remains the same and locked-in without cash withdrawals. A retail CBDC would reintroduce this stability risk if depositors are able to withdraw deposits instantly out of the banking system electronically into a retail CBDC, causing a run on multiple banks. The interesting aspect of this speech is that a wholesale CBDC is gaining traction in the BoE's plans. A wholesale CBDC is in the sweetspot of a central bank and has some real benefits - hopefully the BoE will focus more on a wholesale CBDC and quietly kick the retail CBDC idea into the long grass. 
UK fintech to be elevated to 'ubiquitech' with Smart Data Roadmap, new report reveals
Andrew Smith

Andrew Smith

  I think some of the commentary in here shows a lack of understand of privacy and the challenges. It also shows a lack of understanding on how you can deliver trust without compromising on privacy. It's a grave concern that we still do not understand the importance of digital privacy, without it we are all exposed to a host of issues.
MPE 2024: What will be the impact of a digital euro?
A Finextra Member

A Finextra member

  Much indeed. But to my conjecture,society is already controlled digitally. Does your bank tell you how much you can withdraw daily? private companies have rules that restrict free movement. CBDCs will match the governance of each country but more so this technology empowers economies globally who have been disenfrenchised for generation. The dollar has restricted and weakened economies globally to only buy goods and services at a cheaper rate. A reshift is necessary.
If you don't know where you are going, any road will do..
Bo Harald

Bo Harald

  I assume that you agree with the importance of both having a shared mission - and the importance of Trust over IP, Self-sovereign Identity and the work in Open Wallet Foundation.