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120
result(s)
Stablecoins and Their Risks to Financial Stability
Staff Discussion Paper 2022-20
Cameron MacDonald,
Laura Zhao
What risks could stablecoins pose to the financial system? We argue that the stabilization mechanisms of stablecoins give rise to the risk of confidence runs, which can propagate to broader cryptoasset markets and the traditional financial sector. We also argue that stablecoins can contribute to financial stability risks by facilitating the buildup of leverage and liquidity mismatch in decentralized finance. Such risks cannot be addressed by ensuring the price stability of stablecoins alone. Finally, we explore the potential implications of stablecoins for the current system of bank-intermediated credit and for monetary policy.
Content Type(s):
Staff research,
Staff discussion papers
Topic(s):
Digital currencies and fintech,
Financial institutions,
Financial markets,
Financial stability,
Financial system regulation and policies
JEL Code(s):
E,
E4,
E42,
E44,
E5,
E58,
G,
G2,
G23
Private Digital Cryptoassets as Investment? Bitcoin Ownership and Use in Canada, 2016-2021
Staff Working Paper 2022-44
Daniela Balutel,
Walter Engert,
Christopher Henry,
Kim Huynh,
Marcel Voia
We report on the dynamics of Bitcoin awareness and ownership from 2016 to 2021, using the Bank of Canada's Bitcoin Omnibus Surveys (BTCOS). Our analysis also helps understand Bitcoin owners who adopted during the COVID-19 and how they differ from long-term owners.
Content Type(s):
Staff research,
Staff working papers
Topic(s):
Bank notes,
Digital currencies and fintech,
Econometric and statistical methods
JEL Code(s):
C,
C1,
C12,
E,
E4,
O,
O5,
O51
Grasping De(centralized) Fi(nance) Through the Lens of Economic Theory
Staff Working Paper 2022-43
Jonathan Chiu,
Charles M. Kahn,
Thorsten Koeppl
We analyze the value proposition and limitations of decentralized finance (DeFi). Based on a distributed ledger and smart contracts, DeFi can guarantee the execution of financial contracts, potentially lowering the costs of intermediation and improving financial inclusion.
Content Type(s):
Staff research,
Staff working papers
Topic(s):
Digital currencies and fintech,
Payment clearing and settlement systems
JEL Code(s):
G,
G2
Archetypes for a retail CBDC
Staff Analytical Note 2022-14
Sriram Darbha
A variety of technology designs could support retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) systems. We develop five archetypes of CBDC systems, outline their characteristics and discuss their trade-offs. This work serves as a framework to analyze and compare different designs, independent of vendor, platform and implementation.
Content Type(s):
Staff research,
Staff analytical notes
Topic(s):
Central bank research,
Digital currencies and fintech
JEL Code(s):
E,
E4,
E42,
E5,
E51,
O,
O3
Cash, COVID-19 and the Prospects for a Canadian Digital Dollar
Staff Discussion Paper 2022-17
Walter Engert,
Kim Huynh
We provide an analysis of cash trends in Canada before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also consider the potential two scenarios for issuance of a central bank digital currency in Canada: the emergence of a cashless society or the widespread use of an alternative digital currency in Canada. Finally, we discuss the Canadian experience in maintaining cash as an efficient and accessible method of payment and store of value.
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
PayTech and the D(ata) N(etwork) A(ctivities) of BigTech Platforms
Staff Working Paper 2022-35
Jonathan Chiu,
Thorsten Koeppl
Why do BigTech platforms introduce payment services? We explore this using a model in which a monopoly platform faces a trade-off between the costs associated with privacy concerns and the revenue from data services. We then analyze the feedback effects between data and payments.
Content Type(s):
Staff research,
Staff working papers
Topic(s):
Digital currencies and fintech,
Payment clearing and settlement systems
JEL Code(s):
D,
D8,
E,
E4,
E42,
L,
L1
Cash in the Pocket, Cash in the Cloud: Cash Holdings of Bitcoin Owners
Staff Working Paper 2022-26
Daniela Balutel,
Christopher Henry,
Kim Huynh,
Marcel Voia
We estimate the effect that owning Bitcoin has on the amount of cash held by Canadian consumers. Our results question the view that adopting certain new technologies, such as Bitcoin, leads to a decline in cash holdings.
Content Type(s):
Staff research,
Staff working papers
Topic(s):
Bank notes,
Digital currencies and fintech,
Econometric and statistical methods
JEL Code(s):
C,
C1,
C12,
E,
E4,
O,
O3,
O33,
O5,
O51
Resilience of bank liquidity ratios in the presence of a central bank digital currency
Staff Analytical Note 2022-5
Alissa Gorelova,
Bena Lands,
Maria teNyenhuis
Could Canadian banks continue to meet their regulatory liquidity requirements after the introduction of a cash-like retail central bank digital currency (CBDC)? We conduct a hypothetical exercise to estimate how a CBDC could affect bank liquidity by increasing the run-off rates of transactional retail deposits under four increasingly severe scenarios.
Content Type(s):
Staff research,
Staff analytical notes
Topic(s):
Central bank research,
Digital currencies and fintech,
Econometric and statistical methods,
Financial institutions,
Financial stability
JEL Code(s):
C,
E,
E4,
G,
G2,
G21,
O,
O3,
O33
Identifying Financially Remote First Nations Reserves
Staff Discussion Paper 2022-11
Heng Chen,
Walter Engert,
Kim Huynh,
Daneal O’Habib
Chen et al. (2021) show that almost one-third of First Nations band offices in Canada are within 1 kilometre (km) of an automated banking machine (ABM) or financial institution (FI) branch and more than half are within 5 km.
Content Type(s):
Staff research,
Staff discussion papers
Topic(s):
Bank notes,
Digital currencies and fintech,
Financial institutions,
Financial services,
Payment clearing and settlement systems
JEL Code(s):
E,
E4,
E41,
E42,
E5,
G,
G2,
G21