Hong Kong Amps up CBDC Studies

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority just disclosed that it is carrying out studies on developing a CBDC. This announcement came on the 7th of November in a news report.

Partnership with the PBoC
HKMA also disclosed that it is partnering with the digital currency department of the People’s Bank of China. The PBoC is expected by many to pioneer the drop of the world’s first CBDC.

The operation is being carried out in conjunction with Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Ltd. and 3 other financial establishments, and blockchain consortium R3.

In the report, the senior executive director, Edmund Lau broke down the operation. He stated that the operation involves a proof-of-concept analysis on coin-based CBDC, studies on debt securities allocation through the utilization of blockchain, an examination on the probability of CBDC’s payment policies and investigation into a probable two-tier allocation prototype, which could create the possibility for corporate representatives to own and utilize CBDC coins as endorsed parties of their establishments.

HKMA is said to be concentrated on using the CBDC solely for financial establishments as opposed to retail activities. They are particularly interested in local interbank payments and wholesale payments. Edmund said that there is already a lot of access to digital mobile payments products.

HKMA has also approved a memo of agreement with the bank of Thailand to carry out a collective study program into the use of a CBDC for border-to-border payments and interbank payment-versus-payment services between the nations in May.

What to Expect
Joe Lubin, CEO of ConsenSys has commented that he doesn’t believe that the PBoC will execute the decentralized facets of blockchain in its coming CBDC. He went on to say that the security will probably be used to sustain administrations’ management of cash flow and that the PBoC will utilize some of the old methods of blockchain.

Regardless, the Deputy Director of the PBoC, Mu Changchun said in August that the CBDC is going to be constructed to be a centralized, two-level operation, seeing the PBoC at the cap level and the succeeding level will be handled by local banks.