Positioning Central Bank Digital Currency in the Payments Landscape

The IMF is frequently approached by central banks seeking guidance on the balance between central bank digital currency (CBDC), fast payment systems (FPS), and electronic money (e-money) solutions. Common questions arising include: Do central banks need a CBDC when already equipped with other well-established digital payments systems? For central banks with less-developed solutions: Should central banks establish one system over the other? This discussion is then compounded by the reality of constrained resources. A holistic exploration and decision process on the issuance of retail CBDC requires a comprehensive assessment of legal, macro-financial, and operational considerations. This note focuses on the comparison of retail CBDC—that is, the presence of digital central bank money available to the general public—with FPS and e-money systems from a payments perspective, and how CBDC may support a jurisdiction’s vision on payments in the digital age. The note does not seek to advocate for CBDC over FPS or e-money. The balance of arguments for any one system may change over time, and the choice may not be mutually exclusive in many jurisdictions. In the future, it is possible to envisage the coexistence of FPS, e-money, and CBDC in many payment landscapes across the world. Through good design, all three systems could meet central bank objectives such as payments efficiency and support financial inclusion; some benefits are unique to CBDC, such as maintaining access to central bank money in an increasingly digitalized age. These considerations may be particularly relevant in the context of a retail payments landscape which may otherwise be moving towards 100 percent privately issued money. While multiple systems could meet the same objectives, a jurisdiction’s evaluation will be dependent on the distinct features and capacity of its current, and emerging, financial landscape. A landscape review is an important tool for central banks when assessing how policy objectives are being achieved today, and if necessary pre-conditions for new systems are in place, or could be established in future. Authorities’ capacity and capability to not only implement but supervise and regulate any system will be important. Any new system will have non-negligible costs, and different systems will potentially have different implications for the distribution of costs between the public and private sectors. Furthermore, a jurisdiction’s mandate and ability to apply their powers around payments may ultimately determine how well any system can fulfill its objectives. Given the early stage of CBDC development, no singular strategy exists in the context of the questions put forward. While central banks will make choices unique to their circumstances, it remains important for central banks to establish a strategy that allows them at minimum to monitor trends and core benefits of multiple solutions as developments occur to allow them to plan, adapt, and drive developments in their payments landscape.