The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has stated that the possibility of introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is still years away. The announcement follows the conclusion of a pilot investigation conducted by RBA in collaboration with the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre.
In a report published today, both entities outlined that the study has highlighted various legal, regulatory, technical, and operational challenges linked to an Australian CBDC. These challenges have been deemed worthy of deeper investigation in subsequent research endeavors.
Australia CBDC unlikely any time soon
The Australian payment system effectively serves users’ requirements, and exploring CBDCs in advanced economies is ongoing. Hence, substantial policy deliberation regarding implementing a CBDC in Australia is anticipated several years from now, according to the report.
The pilot initiative, aimed at collaborating with the industry to investigate potential applications for a CBDC, encompassed the issuance of a limited-scale pilot CBDC by the RBA in a controlled environment to selected industry stakeholders, as outlined in the report. Between March and July of the present year, 16 proposed use cases from industry participants were chosen for participation in the pilot program.
Unlike previous endeavors where the CBDC was merely a proof-of-concept, the pilot CBDC held genuine legal status as a claim on the RBA. The findings from the study indicated that a CBDC holds the potential to offer advantages to Australian households and businesses. Numerous submissions underscored the capability to manage and program a tokenized CBDC directly, thus facilitating intricate payment arrangements beyond the scope of existing payment systems, as highlighted in the report.
Additionally, the report emphasized the substantial interest of industry participants in exploring the tokenization of tangible and financial assets on distributed ledger technology platforms, with the CBDC serving as the means for settling associated transactions. Notably, the report further stated that the traditional domain of debt securities markets, characterized by multi-day settlement durations, emerged as a pivotal area of interest.
CBDCs still have uncertainties around integration
The report from the RBA also raised a cautionary note, stating that certain test cases from the pilot project illuminated uncertainties surrounding the integration of CBDC and novel business models utilizing it within existing legal and regulatory structures.
Meanwhile, the RBA’s overall assessment highlighted that while a CBDC holds the potential to enhance efficiency and resilience in specific facets of the payment system, further in-depth research is necessary for a comprehensive understanding.
