Survey: Commercial perceptions of central bank digital currency (CBDCs) in the Asian Region

Take the survey now

* Your responses will remain strictly confidential. None of your responses will be attributed either to you personally or to your organisation. The survey should take 12-15 minutes to complete, and will be active till 24 December.

About the survey

Professor Deborah Healey and Professor Heng Wang of the CIBEL Centre, one of the first organisations in the world to address central bank digital currency (CBDC) issues in an international context, have developed this world-leading research study with the Asian Business Law Institute (ABLI). The research examines commercial and legal perceptions of CBDC and its implications for business.

 

Background

New digital currency, including central bank digital currency (CBDC) and digital global stablecoins such as Diem/Libra, is developing swiftly, particularly since COVID-19. This has substantial regulatory, financial, trading, and other commercial implications worldwide but particularly in the Asia Pacific region. CBDCs and Diem will be widely used and will substantially reshape the landscape of the international economy. Approaches to digital currency will not be uniform since different jurisdictions will seek different outcomes from its development and use.

CBDC is a digital form of fiat currency issued by a country’s central bank. It differs from traditional fiat currency in terms of technology, law, and financial policy. It serves as a new policy lever. It will generate huge amounts of data which will raise new issues such as digital identity, data flow, technological design, and privacy. CBDC will be used both domestically and internationally at retail and wholesale levels. It will affect nearly everyone who uses currency. Competition in currency and use of currency for political ends are likely. 

China is piloting CBDC and is likely to be the first major economy to issue it. The digital dollar and digital Euro are also being discussed, while the Reserve Bank of Australia is exploring CBDC and its implications. A few advanced economies are working with the Bank of International Settlements to explore CBDC design issues. 

New digital currency profoundly affects actors such as: central banks; other regulators; banks; other financial service providers; the payment industry; FinTech and tech firms; data-related industries; other businesses such as retailers; international organizations (e.g., the IMF, BIS World Bank, HCCH); and users of currency (e.g., individuals and firms). It may affect patterns of business; different sectors (e.g., trade, finance, and investment), and other crucial issues, such as privacy and data management.

Major questions arising from these developments in the Asia Pacific region are:

  • What are the different approaches to new digital currency in China, Australia, and ASEAN jurisdictions?
  • What different pathways and designs of CBDC are being explored there?
  • How will new digital currency affect regulators, businesses, the public and other stakeholders in those jurisdictions?
  • How can countries and individual businesses reap the benefits and address the challenges of digital currency?

 

Participant Information Statement and Consent Form

Please make sure you read the Participant Information Statement and Consent Form before you take the survey.

 

Final report

If you would like to get an invitation to our launch event and receive a copy of the final report, please let the research team know by emailing Professor Deborah Healey: d.healey@unsw.edu.au.

 

Contact us

If you have any questions, please contact the research team at d.healey@unsw.edu.au.