The conversation around the role of central banks in the economy has taken on a new dimension among U.S. presidential hopefuls like Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy. These politicians want to make it clear they would not support any proposals for a central bank-backed digital U.S. dollar as they make an early push to drum up momentum for their campaigns.
A central bank digital currency, or CBDC, is far from reality in the U.S. Some officials at the Federal Reserve have expressed doubt over the need for one, especially for use by everyday Americans. The Fed has also said it would want approval from Congress before moving forward with a digital dollar. But that hasn’t stopped the relatively niche issue from emerging as a flash point for individuals eyeing a presidential run.
The idea of a digital dollar has already faced backlash from Wall Street and other banks, because lenders are worried about it acting as a direct competitor to private bank deposits. Digital-asset companies like Circle Internet Financial LLC that issue stablecoins — a form of cryptocurrency traditionally tied to reserve assets like the US dollar or gold and that offers similar features to a retail digital dollar — have also pushed back against certain CBDCs.
