Nicholas Anthony on *Digital Currency or Digital Control: Decoding CBDC and the Future of Money*

Nicholas Anthony is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, a fellow at the Human Rights Foundation, and is also a returning guest to the podcast. Nick rejoins David on Macro Musings to talk about a new book he has authored titled, *Digital Currency or Digital Control: Decoding CBDC and the Future of Money.* Specifically, Nicholas and David discuss the history of CBDCs, their challenges and drawbacks, Nick’s recommendations for the future, and a lot more.   Transcript for this week’s episode.   Nick’s Twitter: @EconWithNick Nick’s Cato profile   David Beckworth’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Follow us on Twitter: @Macro_Musings   Check out our new AI chatbot: the Macro Musebot! Join the new Macro Musings Discord server!   Join the Macro Musings mailing list! Check out our Macro Musings merch!   Related Links:   *Digital Currency or Digital Control: Decoding CBDC and the Future of Money* by Nicholas Anthony   *Nicholas Anthony on the Current Prospects and Legislative Developments Surrounding CBDC* by Macro Musings   *Macroeconomic Modelling of CBDC: A Critical Review* by Ulrich Bindseil and Richard Senner   *Ulrich Bindseil on Central Bank Operating Systems* by Macro Musings   Timestamps:   (00:00:00) – Intro   (00:01:50) – The Future Prospects of CBDC: From Congress to the White House   (00:07:35) – The History of CBDCs   (00:11:19) – Breaking Down the Three Types of CBDCs   (00:17:22) – The Challenges and Drawbacks of CBDCs   (00:25:42) – The Buffer Between CBDCs and Privacy   (00:31:00) – Wholesale CBDCs, Real-time Payments, and Cross-border Payments   (00:41:06) – The Potential Destabilizing Effects of CBDCs   (00:46:12) – The Pros and Cons of a CBDC for the Fed   (00:53:23) – Responding to Pro-CBDC Arguments   (00:59:05) – Recommendations for the Future of CBDCs   (01:01:92) – Outro