The former chair of the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Sheila Bair, recently published an article imploring the U.S. Federal Reserve to explore central bank-issued digital currencies (CBDCs). In the article, Mrs. Bair argues that the development of a state-issued cryptocurrency could “reduc[e] the risk of financial crises” and “improv[e] monetary policy tools.”
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Sheila Bair Authors Article Advocating Central Bank-Issued Digital Currency
The former FDIC chair begins the article by discussing the increasing proliferation of financial crises across major economies, such as the “Europe[an] sovereign debt crisis” and national crises recently felt in “Portugal, Venezuela, Russia, Ukraine, [and] Brazil.”
The article describes “Lack of confidence in [the] banking system” as the principal catalyst for Satoshi Nakamoto’s choice to develop bitcoin, asserting that “He (she, they?) originally intended it as a widely accepted method of payment that could function completely outside of the banking system.” However, Mrs. Bair states that “Unfortunately […], bitcoin has failed miserably as a method of payment” – blaming such on the “extreme volatility [that] has made it popular as a speculative investment and store of value.”
The former FDIC chair advocates that central banks issue their own digital money, describing such as “a radical idea that […] is gaining credibility among an increasing number of mainstream economists and central bankers themselves.” Mrs. Bair describes central bank-issued digital currency as “presumably […] be[ing] as stable as traditional fiat currency, while reducing the risks of financial crises and improving monetary tools.”
Benefits of CBDCs
Mrs. Bair asserts that the development and issuance of CBDC could provide greater financial stability in times of economic crisis, stating that “in times of extreme stress, people lose confidence in their banks. So
