Why central bank digital currencies will destroy bitcoin | Nouriel Roubini

Central banks should issue their own digital currencies to replace a crisis-prone banking system and shut out cryptocurrencies

The world's central bankers have begun to discuss the idea of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and now even the International Monetary Fund and its managing director, Christine Lagarde, are talking openly about the pros and cons of the idea.

This conversation is past due. Cash is being used less and less, and has nearly disappeared in countries such as Sweden and China. At the same time, digital payment systems - PayPal, Venmo, and others in the west; Alipay and WeChat in China; M-Pesa in Kenya; Paytm in India - offer attractive alternatives to services once provided by traditional commercial banks.

Insofar as central bank digital currencies would crowd out worthless cryptocurrencies, they should be welcomed