A new report by blockchain company Ripple (XRP) indicates that key financial sector players are considering central bank digital currencies (CBDC) as the future of fiat money.
The Ripple New Value Report published on July 15 stated that over 70% of respondents from five global regions opine that CBDCs have a greater potential to drive vital social changes within the next five years with benefits such as financial inclusion and access to credit.
The survey, which gathered feedback from 1,600 respondents, indicated that the Asia Pacific region is leading in CBDC popularity. Within the area, China’s central bank is taking the lead after recently announcing plans to expand its CBDC pilot project to more cities.
Notably, 85% of leaders at financial institutions are confident their respective countries will unveil CBDCs within the next four years. Besides enhancing financial inclusion, they believe that a digital currency will make their countries more competitive at 44%, improve payment systems at 43% alongside advance broader financial innovation at 42%.
Challenges in CBDC roll out
Although the report highlighted the outstanding benefits of rolling out CBDCs, central banks still face challenges like consumer education, identity verification, offline access, and privacy and security protections along the way.
“Ultimately, consensus on the potential for CBDCs to bring about more inclusive financial systems is clear. While much work remains to be done, many expect the transformation to be timely and that we will begin to see the fruits of this transition before the turn of the decade,” the report said.
Global collaboration
Additionally, Ripple acknowledged that there exists alternative solutions to manage current CBDC rollout barriers. However, alternatives must be agreed upon among countries opting for the currency to enhance interoperability among currencies.
As reported by Fibold, the U.S. Treasury Department also recommended enhancing collaboration between countries in unveiling the framework to govern global CBDCs.
The report findings align with the recent growing interest in CBDCs that continue to occupy a significant part of governments’ cryptocurrency regulatory frameworks.
With the ongoing meltdown in cryptocurrencies, some jurisdictions opine that rolling out CBDCs will be viable to counter private digital assets hence protecting consumers.