Central bank digital currency and monetary policy

Abstract

Many central banks are contemplating whether to issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC). A CBDC has certain potential benefits, including the possibility that it can bear interest. However, using a CBDC is costly for agents. I study the optimal monetary policy when only cash, only a CBDC, or both cash and a CBDC are available to agents. If the cost of using a CBDC is not too high, more efficient allocations can be implemented by using a CBDC than using cash, and the first best can be achieved. Having both cash and a CBDC available may result in lower welfare than in the cases where only cash or only a CBDC is available. The welfare gains of introducing a CBDC are estimated under various scenarios for the United States and Canada. For example, if the cost of using a CBDC relative to cash is around 0.25% of the transaction value, introducing a CBDC can lead to an increase of 0.12–0.21% consumption for the United States and 0.04–0.07% for Canada.