Beyond the major bitcoin headlines, there is a second crypto tale unfolding that most people have noticed less: central bank experiments. This week the Bank for International Settlements held an “innovation” conference, at which Jay Powell, Federal Reserve chair, explained that Fed officials are working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to explore the feasibility of a dollar-based central bank digital currency.
| less than a minute read
Central bankers’ crypto experiments should put investors on alert
When bitcoin and other fintech innovations first emerged this century, many central bankers either dismissed or derided them in conversations with me. They remain so: Powell suggested this week that bitcoin was primarily a speculative investment substitute for gold, not for the dollar; Agustín Carstens, BIS head, warned it was mostly used for regulatory arbitrage.
