Cafe Economique – Money in a digital age : from cash to cryptocurrency ?

Money in a digital age: from cash to cryptocurrency ? Talk by Malcolm Sawyer.

The use of cash and cheques in making payments is in decline and digital means of payment – credit and debit cards, mobile phones etc.—are on the rise. There are proposals around the world for the central bank to issue a digital currency (central bank digital currency CBDC) to largely or wholly replace cash.

I’ll be talking about the proposals from the Bank of England and what impacts that could have on public and use of cash, financial inclusion/exclusion, banks and the financing of government expenditure.

CBD

Cs can be seen as State response to the private cryptocurrencies from Bitcoin onwards. I’ll be looking at the history of cryptocurrencies, who has profited and who has lost out, and asking whether they should be termed currency and whether one (or more) of them could develop into fully fledged money.

The implications of digital currencies for the relationship between the State and money, and for international transactions also explored.

Talks generally last for 30-40 minutes and, following a short break, we re-convene to debate the issues raised during the talk. We aim to make our meetings as inclusive and accessible as possible to the widest range of people and encourage a lively (yet friendly!) debate between our expert speakers and members of the audience.

Café Économique is a voluntary organisation whose aim is to provide education for interested members of the public about current economic, social and environmental topics and possible actions so that our economic system works and benefits all in an equitable, democratic and transparent way.

Start  7.30pm. Please arrive by 7.15pm to allow a prompt start.

Entry Charge: £6

For further information, see the website Forthcoming Events | My Site 2 (cafeeconomiqueleeds.org)