Will Central Bank Digital Coins Impact the Growth of the Cryptocurrency Environment?
The long-term fight between decentralized finance and controlled central bank finance is shifting into a higher gear. Central banks, and those that place an essential role in stabilizing the banking system, are launching digital coins as they continue to ponder their position in crypto trading. There is a difference between the investment thesis concerning digital currencies run by a central bank and current cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies continue to make strides in the desire to become mainstream. Several U.S. public companies are also leading the charge into the decentralized world of currencies, making it difficult for central banks to cap the industry’s growth even with the introduction of their digital coins.
What is the Difference Between Cryptocurrency’s and Central Bank Digital Coins
The difference between cryptocurrency trading and trading using a Central Bank Digital Coin (CBDC) is the level of control and centralization. Additionally, regulation, oversight, and encryption will not be the same, and neither will transparency. Central banks need to be above reproach for them to be successful. A CBDC could alter different parts of the crypto trading economy. For example, miners who confirm a blockchain transaction will not have the same opportunity to generate wealth in the CBDC arena. The central bank will create most of the coins that are generated by the CBDC. Additionally, software used to mine or handle cryptocurrency will be provided the same distribution levels when it comes to CBDC trading. The concept of decentralized finance will be altered when there is a centralized coin.
How Central Bank Digital Coins Used?
China has been at the forefront of providing a CBDC to the marketplace. The Bahamas has also created digital money, drawing more vital interest in cashless spending. There is an essential difference between crypto trading and the exchange of CBDC. A crypto dollar is a digital coin, but it is not an investment vehicle. One could look at a digital dollar as a way to spend a dollar. You could also look at digital dollars as an investment against another CBDC.
A CBDC would differ in several ways. It would function more like US dollars as the Federal Reserve controls it. It would also likely have more widespread acceptance initially as a mechanism to make payments or hold dollars. Lastly, the regulatory framework would be under a central bank.
What Are Some Differences?
When you are crypto trading as CFDs, you are speculating on the future value of a cryptocurrency. This value is based on supply, which dwindles over time, and demand. The algorithms that are used for both Bitcoin and Etherieum generate few digital coins over time. There is a maximum number of coins that can be created using the system. If the demand for Bitcoins continues to rise and the supply of the product continues to dimmish, the product’s price is forced higher.
The concept of the CBDC is entirely different. While it is a digital coin, it is controlled by the central banks and, therefore, will likely act as a digital sovereign currency. These products will have the benefit of trading like a fiat currency with low levels of volatility. For example, the historical volatility of the dollar index is much lower than the historical volatility of a crypto coin like Bitcoin.
Who is Driving Crypto Trading?
The mainstream of cryptocurrency transactions is trending upward. Companies like PayPal, Robin Hood, and Square provide digital finance through crypto trading. PayPal recently announced that it would allow people to trade cryptocurrencies on its platform in addition to allowing an individual to purchase goods and services from its 27 million vendors. PayPal appears to be competing directly with Robin Hood, generating more crypto trading transactions, and taking a piece of the large commission pie. With large-cap fintech companies like PayPal and Square driving the acceptance of cryptocurrency, they are likely to continue to gain further acceptance despite the introduction of digital fiat currencies.
The Bottom Line
The upshot is that despite the introduction of CBDCs, acceptance in the marketplace should not take volume away from crypto trading. CBDCs will provide an opportunity for people to exchange their fiat currencies for another fiat currency, but they will not offer an actual investment in cryptocurrencies. Since a CBDC is a digital currency regulated and controlled by a central bank, it should not have the volatility associated with crypto trading.
Cryptocurrency trading might continue to gain acceptance through large U.S. public companies. PayPal and Square are leading the charge in decentralized finance. These companies are bringing a combination of crypto trading and cryptocurrency payment processing which has provided a greater acceptance to the cryptocurrency industry.