Francisco Rivadeneyra

Francisco Rivadeneyra

Director of CBDC and Fintech Policy and Research

Bio

Francisco Rivadeneyra is the Director for CBDC & FinTech Policy and Research at the Bank of Canada. In this role he leads a team developing policy advice in areas of central bank digital currency, electronic money and payments, and the implications for central banks of broader financial innovations. He also is an active researcher working in the intersection of technology, payments infrastructures and finance. His current research studies the security and convenience trade-off of digital currencies and the use of artificial intelligence in the liquidity management problem of commercial banks. His previous work has been on the management of domestic debt and foreign reserves for the Government of Canada.

Mr. Rivadeneyra holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago.


Staff research

Ecosystem Models for a Central Bank Digital Currency: Analysis Framework and Potential Models

This note analyzes different economic models of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) ecosystem where the central bank chooses different levels of market involvement and usage of policy levers. The analysis suggests that there are trade-offs between the costs to the central bank and its ability to achieve policy goals like universal access.

The Role of Public Money in the Digital Age

Staff discussion paper 2024-11 Francisco Rivadeneyra, Scott Hendry, Alejandro García
A well-functioning monetary system is characterized by public and private forms of money that exchange at par as value flows freely between them. A relevant retail public money—whether in the form of cash, a central bank digital currency or both—is a necessary component of such a monetary system.

Central Bank Digital Currencies and Banking: Literature Review and New Questions

We review the nascent but fast-growing literature on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), focusing on their potential impacts on private banks. We evaluate these impacts in three areas of traditional banking: payments, lending and liquidity and maturity transformation. We also take a broader look at CBDCs and highlight two promising directions for future research.

Improving the Efficiency of Payments Systems Using Quantum Computing

We develop an algorithm and run it on a hybrid quantum annealing solver to find an ordering of payments that reduces the amount of system liquidity necessary without substantially increasing payment delays.

Payment Coordination and Liquidity Efficiency in the New Canadian Wholesale Payments System

Staff discussion paper 2022-3 Francisco Rivadeneyra, Nellie Zhang
We study the impact of the Bank of Canada’s choice of settlement mechanism in Lynx on participant behaviors, liquidity usage, payment delays and the overall operational efficiency of the new system.

The Positive Case for a CBDC

Staff discussion paper 2021-11 Andrew Usher, Edona Reshidi, Francisco Rivadeneyra, Scott Hendry
We discuss the competition and innovation arguments for issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). A CBDC could be an effective competition policy tool for payments. A CBDC could also support the vibrancy of the digital economy. It could help solve market failures and foster competition and innovation in new digital payments markets.

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Bank publications

Bank of Canada Review articles

May 13, 2014

The Canadian Dollar as a Reserve Currency

This article provides an overview of the growth of Canadian-dollar-denominated assets in official foreign reserves. Based on International Monetary Fund data and on internal Bank of Canada analysis, we estimate that the total reserve holdings of Canadian-dollar assets increased from negligible levels before 2008 to around US$200 billion in the third quarter of 2013. We discuss the determinants of this increase, as well as its potential impact on Canadian debt markets, for example, lower yields and therefore reduced financing costs for the Government of Canada, and the possible negative impact on market liquidity.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles JEL Code(s): E, E5, E58, F, F3, F31, G, G1, G12
May 16, 2013

Modelling the Asset-Allocation and Liability Strategy for Canada’s Foreign Exchange Reserves

The Bank of Canada recently developed an asset-liability-matching model to aid in the management of Canada’s foreign exchange reserves. The model allows policy-makers at the Bank and the Department of Finance to analyze asset-allocation and funding-mix decisions by quantifying both the risk-return and liquidity trade-offs for the assets, as well as the risk-cost trade-offs of the funding liabilities.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles JEL Code(s): F, F3, F31, G, G1, G11, G18

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Journal publications

Journal articles

    • "Government Bond Clienteles and Yields"
      (with Jianjian Jin and Jesus Sierra), In Advances in the Practice of Public Investment Management, Palgrave, 2018
    • "Financial Development, Credit, and Business Cycles"
      (with Tiago Pinheiro and Marc Teignier), Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 2017, 49 (7), 1653-1665.
    • "Monopolies and Economic Growth" (in Spanish)
      (with Pablo Pena), Gaceta de Economía, Fall 2009.
    • "An Empirical Analysis of the Law of One Price in Mexico" (in Spanish)
      (with Marco González-Navarro), Gaceta de Economía, Fall 2004.

"Trade Creation and Trade Diversion of Preferential Agreements: New Estimates for NAFTA" (in Spanish)
(with Jose M. Chavez), Gaceta de Economía, Spring 2002.

Work in progress

  • "Payments System Design Using Reinforcement Learning"
    (with Ajit Desai, Hand Du and Rod Garratt).
  • "E-Money and Payments Policy"
    (with Charles M. Kahn and Russell Wong).
  • "Intraday Trade Dynamics in Short-term Funding Markets"
    (with Mark Rempel).
  • "Foreign Reserves and Tail Risk"
    (with Jorge Cruz Lopez).