A few years ago, if you had heard that the U.S. government might mint its own digital currency, you might have dismissed the idea as starry-eyed futurism — or, less charitably, a joke. Digital currencies, such as Bitcoin, were the purview of speculators and coders, not stodgy central bankers. But this winter, the Federal Reserve announced that it’s investigating the possibility of issuing its own digital coin. Speaking at Stanford, Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard noted that the “potential for digitalization to deliver greater value and convenience at lower cost” has piqued the interest of the traditionally risk-averse institution.
Is Stablecoin the Next Big Thing in E-Commerce?
It seems poised to succeed where other cryptocurrencies have failed.
May 21, 2020
Summary.
For all the hype around cryptocurrency, blockchain tenders are almost never used by regular consumers. Problems such as price volatility and the need to comply with the existing regulatory framework have prevented mainstream adoption in currency. For cryptocurrencies to be adopted by the mainstream, the authors argue, four conditions need to align: appropriate technology, consumer demand, corporate champions, and an amenable regulatory environment. They contend that “Stablecoins” — a category of blockchain-powered currency that prioritizes price stability — may succeed where others have failed.