empty
13.01.2022 12:44 PM
Visa develops digital currency technology (CBDC)

This image is no longer relevant

Visa has announced that it will expand its crypto services one step further by partnering with blockchain software company Consensys to build an on-ramp for central bank digital currencies (CBDC).

This image is no longer relevant

The payments giant aims to create conditions before spring so that central banks can experiment with distributing the technology after minting on Consensys' Quorum protocol.

The partnership is the latest development in the fast-growing cryptocurrency market, with central banks vying to issue their own digital coins and established financial companies dabbling in crypto payments.

The partnership uses a "two-tier" distribution model for CBDCs. Central banks would design their digital currency on Consensys' Quorum where they would set its monetary and governance rules. They then use Visa's infrastructure to distribute the currency via financial intermediaries like commercial banks.

Eswar Prasad, author of The Future of Money and professor of trade policy at Cornell University, explained some of the benefits of the Visa-Consensys model. It does not exclude payment providers and could create competition for those who can provide the most efficient and low-cost services. In his view, central banks will likely prefer to manage the payment infrastructure themselves.

Visa has been involved in crypto-related products since 2019, using its payment network to buy cryptocurrency and convert it back into fiat currency.

Visa already settles transactions in one stablecoin, and more recently launched a cryptocurrency consulting service that caters to banks exploring their own cryptocurrency plans.

The number of countries exploring CBDC has more than doubled in the past year and a half. According to the Atlantic Council's CBDC tracker, 87 different countries, which represent 90% of global gross domestic product, are expanding financial technology in one way or another.

However, progress and goals within this group have been uneven. Nine central banks, including Nigeria, the Bahamas and seven other Caribbean countries, have launched CBDC. Meanwhile, China is ready to introduce its digital yuan to foreign visitors next month during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile, major central banks such as the Fed are not going to issue a digital coin anytime soon. During a reconfirmation hearing earlier this week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that a Fed's long-awaited document on CBDC would be released in the coming weeks. However, he gave no firm timetable beyond that.

A top executive at eCurrency, a company that has been advising the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve on CBDCs for more than a decade, said Congress must give approval before the Fed and US Treasury can issue a central bank-backed token.

The use case for any CBDBs is wide ranging. However, based on conversations with central banks, Visa's CBDC lead Catherine Gu mentioned two main reasons.

First, developing countries could use this technology to provide greater financial access to unbanked population.

Secondly, CBDCs provide developed countries a more efficient distribution of stimulus relief in more targeted ways to juice an economy, like giving the money an expiration date, or permitting it only to be used in certain transactions.

However, there is an obstacle related to user adoption and acceptance of CBDC. This depends on the power the technology would potentially grant to central banks and whether that poses a challenge to the primacy of fiat units like the US dollar, the world's dominant reserve currency.

While CBDCs may provide new monetary policy tools, it is unclear how restrictions will be set in democratic societies and how they will be integrated into the existing financial system.

Irina Yanina,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

The Fed Allows Only One Rate Cut in 2025

The Federal Reserve continues to remain silent this year. While the European Central Bank has already cut interest rates three times and the Bank of England twice, the FOMC

Chin Zhao 00:40 2025-05-20 UTC+2

AUD/USD. RBA May Meeting: Preview

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will conclude its meeting on Tuesday, May 20, which may result in a softening of monetary policy parameters. The "dovish" scenario is the most

Irina Manzenko 00:40 2025-05-20 UTC+2

The Dollar Has Sold America Out Completely

Overall, the strength of the EUR/USD uptrend remains intact. The erosion of confidence in the U.S. dollar outweighs the divergence in monetary policy between the Fed and the ECB. Technical

Marek Petkovich 00:40 2025-05-20 UTC+2

AUD/USD. Analysis and Forecast

Spot prices for the AUD/USD pair remain within the familiar range held over the past month, as traders await a fresh catalyst before committing to the next directional move

Irina Yanina 18:22 2025-05-19 UTC+2

WTI – West Texas Intermediate. WTI Crude Holds Modest Intraday Losses

Today, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is holding modest intraday losses. Uncertainty surrounding the ongoing US-Iran nuclear talks, along with rising tensions between Estonia and Russia following Sunday's detention

Irina Yanina 18:16 2025-05-19 UTC+2

USD/CAD. Analysis and Forecast

On Monday, the first trading day of the week, the USD/CAD pair attempted to gain significant upward momentum during the Asian session, but the European session failed to support this

Irina Yanina 18:03 2025-05-19 UTC+2

Bitcoin falls prey to crooks

Trust in the financial world is not exclusive to the US dollar. News that scammers have stolen data from approximately 197,000 clients of Coinbase — the world's largest crypto exchange

Marek Petkovich 13:20 2025-05-19 UTC+2

Are There Reasons for the Market Rally to Continue? (Possible Decline in AUD/USD and Growth in GBP/USD)

The coming week is expected to be light on major events or dramatic headlines—no new promises from Donald Trump to shake the world. Nevertheless, there will still be factors worth

Pati Gani 09:52 2025-05-19 UTC+2

The Market Has Gone Too Far

Nothing seems to matter. One would think that after the White House signed trade agreements with Britain and China, and following Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East, the S&P

Marek Petkovich 09:18 2025-05-19 UTC+2

What to Pay Attention to on May 19? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

On Monday, there are very few macroeconomic events scheduled. The only noteworthy release will be the second estimate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April in the Eurozone, which

Paolo Greco 07:34 2025-05-19 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.