Digital currencies of central banks: nature and purpose

Abstract

This paper examines the concept of central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and its evolution as the interest of monetary authorities and regulators in the phenomenon of digital currencies increases. The purpose of the article is to identify the nature and purpose of central bank digital currencies and their underlying qualities through a comparative analysis of the definitions given to them by researchers and monetary authorities developing them, as well as a quantitative analysis of data on the stages of development of digital currencies by central banks around the world. Drawing on the results of the study, we may conclude that with central banks digital currency projects the concept of digital currency, which previously denoted private electronic currency, as well as the classification of money, has become more complicated; regulators of large economies developing digital currencies of central banks view it primarily as a digital form of national currency, close to the characteristics and purpose of cash, and also that the use of distributed ledger technology is an optional, but quite a common attribute of central bank digital currencies.