Bitcoin as it was intended: "Peer-to-peer, face-to-face, friend-to-friend" and no one in between.
Props to Lea and the whole Vexl crew for making the original mission of bitcoin (and financial privacy) easier for everyone to take part in.
Nick Anthony
EconWithNick@verified-nostr.com
npub1n2m8...gflr
Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute's Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives and Fellow at the Human Rights Foundation. Covering CBDCs, financial privacy, and cryptocurrency. Opinions are my own.
I'm grateful to @calle for giving the @HRF CBDC Tracker a shout out at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
Definitely check out Calle's full talk below at around 5:41:00
https://www.youtube.com/live/NVPhJ0aCKOw?si=wtK25za7P5iqiPz4&t=20496
And if you have not seen it, be sure to check out the CBDC Tracker as well for the latest information on 135 different jurisdicitions.
CBDC Tracker
A CBDC is a digital national currency. In the case of the United States, a CBDC would be a digital form of the U.S. dollar whereas, in Nigeria, the...
If you’re not in Oslo, you can watch the livestream of the Freedom Tech track below.
Check it out for discussions on Nostr, Bitcoin, CBDC, and more.
https://www.youtube.com/live/NVPhJ0aCKOw?si=_drDoiXLnbPa6PJ1
According to the @HRF CBDC Tracker, more than 138 governments are working on CBDCs.
Sadly, that is not an April fool's joke. Despite widespread criticism, many governments continue to push forward.
CBDC Tracker
A CBDC is a digital national currency. In the case of the United States, a CBDC would be a digital form of the U.S. dollar whereas, in Nigeria, the...
ANZ Group CEO told Fiji's central bank to create a CBDC because, "If it goes to Bitcoin, you’ve lost control."
But it goes deeper than just Bitcoin FUD.
He says all of cryptocurrency is a problem.
Yet in a seemingly 180-degree flip: he then goes on to cite Australia as an example to follow because ANZ launched a stablecoin that resulted from the Reserve Bank of Australia's CBDC research.
Yes, that's right.
After saying bitcoin and cryptocurrency is bad, he went on to propose the government help him create his own cryptocurrency in the form of a stablecoin.
The good news here is that the Reserve Bank of Fiji did not find this argument to be persuasive.
Whether that changes is to be seen, but be sure to check out the @HRF CBDC Tracker for the latest updates.
He says all of cryptocurrency is a problem.
Yet in a seemingly 180-degree flip: he then goes on to cite Australia as an example to follow because ANZ launched a stablecoin that resulted from the Reserve Bank of Australia's CBDC research.
Yes, that's right.
After saying bitcoin and cryptocurrency is bad, he went on to propose the government help him create his own cryptocurrency in the form of a stablecoin.
The good news here is that the Reserve Bank of Fiji did not find this argument to be persuasive.
Whether that changes is to be seen, but be sure to check out the @HRF CBDC Tracker for the latest updates.
CBDC Tracker
A CBDC is a digital national currency. In the case of the United States, a CBDC would be a digital form of the U.S. dollar whereas, in Nigeria, the...
As documented in the @HRF CBDC Tracker, central bankers leading CBDC projects have been slowly ousted for corruption. If central bankers can’t resist abusing their existing powers, they should not be granted tools that give them even greater powers.
Human Rights Foundation
Corruption Trails CBDC Projects in China, Nigeria, and Lebanon
I’m pleased to announce that the @HRF CBDC Tracker won not one, but two Anthem Awards! The tracker won the Silver and the Community Voice awards for best use of data in a campaign for human rights and civil liberties.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen!
For two years, both Represntative French Hill and I have been trying to uncover the DOJ's CBDC legislative analysis.
Yet, despite my FOIA request and Rep. Hill's letter to AG Garland, we've received nothing but silence. https://www.cato.org/blog/white-house-doj-keeps-cbdc-legislation-secret-cato-rep-hill-seek-answers
Interesting. What the central bank of Slovakia features on its homepage depends on whether you select English (first image) or Slovak (second image translated by Google)
The Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee has published a new presentation calling for CBDCs to replace stablecoins, and it couldn't be more wrong.
https://www.cato.org/blog/treasury-advisory-committee-calls-cbdcs-replace-stablecoins
We are in the final 12 hours of community voting!
Now is the last chance to help push the @HRF CBDC Tracker over the finish line in the Anthem Awards. It's neck and neck so every vote counts.
https://celebrate.anthemawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/human-civil-rights/awareness-categories/non-profit
It's fascinating that upon the BIS leaving Project mBridge, Agustín Carstens felt the need to stress that "mBridge was not created to cater to the needs of the BRICs" and BIS "products [cannot] be used by any countries that are subject to sanctions."
https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/bis-leave-cross-border-payments-platform-project-mbridge-2024-10-31/
With just 42 hours left, there's still time to show support for the @`HRF`CBDC Tracker in the Anthem Awards. We currently sit at second place in the voting, but the margin is tight so we are still in this!
https://celebrate.anthemawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/human-civil-rights/awareness-categories/non-profit
I'm proud to share the @HRF CBDC Tracker has been selected as a finalist in the Anthem Awards alongside the likes of the United Nations, the Carter Center, and many more.
If you like the tracker, please go vote for it below. https://celebrate.anthemawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/human-civil-rights/awareness-categories/non-profit
The timing could not have been better as it coincides with the latest updates to the tracker's user interface. For example, the new menu gets you everywhere you need to be while keeping the homepage concise and easy to navigate.
But that's not all.
After hearing tons of feedback, the data featured in the tracker has also been updated to make it more accessible for people trying to understand what is happening. For example, there is now data from V-Dem that makes it abundantly clear whether an area is a liberal democracy, a closed autocracy, or something in between.
More updates are coming too. But if you appreciate this work, please go show your support by voting for the HRF CBDC Tracker on the Anthem Awards page.
But that's not all.
After hearing tons of feedback, the data featured in the tracker has also been updated to make it more accessible for people trying to understand what is happening. For example, there is now data from V-Dem that makes it abundantly clear whether an area is a liberal democracy, a closed autocracy, or something in between.
CBDC Tracker
A CBDC is a digital national currency. In the case of the United States, a CBDC would be a digital form of the U.S. dollar whereas, in Nigeria, the...
In 2022, Central Bank of The Bahamas governor John Rolle told the Digital Euro Conference: “[E]nlisting participation from the traditional banking sector and credit unions is important.”
At the time, "enlisting" seemed like a poor word choice, but thinking back now given the announcement from Rolle that banks will soon be forced to distribute the CBDC... I guess he really meant that.
Get the full story and more in the HRF CBDC Tracker below.
CBDC Tracker
A CBDC is a digital national currency. In the case of the United States, a CBDC would be a digital form of the U.S. dollar whereas, in Nigeria, the...
You just can't make this stuff up... Aruba's central bank cites the Nigerian experience as a model to follow for introducing a CBDC and reducing cash use.
The Nigerian government created a cash shortage so bad it led to protests and riots!
At the time, I explicitly wrote that this experience was a cautionary tale about why CBDCs should be avoided. Yet, the central bank of Aruba seems to see the opposite.
Stuff like this is exactly why the @HRF CBDC Tracker is here.
At the time, I explicitly wrote that this experience was a cautionary tale about why CBDCs should be avoided. Yet, the central bank of Aruba seems to see the opposite.
Stuff like this is exactly why the @HRF CBDC Tracker is here.
CBDC Tracker
A CBDC is a digital national currency. In the case of the United States, a CBDC would be a digital form of the U.S. dollar whereas, in Nigeria, the...
Thank you to Ankish at Crypto News for letting me share my two cents here. Individual Democrats have done well to try to keep crypto policy bipartisan. However, if Vice President Harris is going to step out of the shadow of Operation Choke Point 2.0 and Senator Warren’s anti-crypto army, she needs to take an official policy stance herself. Until then, there’s little reason to think the Harris-Walz administration will be any different from the Biden-Harris administration.
crypto.news
Harris dips a toe in the crypto waters — is it enough?
How sincere is the Harris campaign's turn to crypto? We unpack the Democratic candidate's latest stance on the industry
What’s going on in the world of CBDCs?
Since July, I've made updates to 31 different regions in the @HRF CBDC Tracker. Let's walk through some of the highlights.
1. The Bahamas
Facing lackluster adoption rates, Central Bank of The Bahamas governor John Rolle said commercial banks would soon be forced to distribute the CBDC.
2. Colombia
The Banco de la República de Colombia published a report that found “there are not sufficient reasons for the issuance of [a CBDC] (retail or wholesale) in Colombia.”
3. India
CBDC usage fell from 1,000,000 transactions per day in December to just 100,000 transactions per day. Given that 1M was only reached through a big push from the central bank, it seems there has been a struggle to generate organic demand.
4. Israel
Despite pushing a pilot forward, Bank of Israel deputy governor Andrew Abir said, “We’re all waiting for the first western central bank to pull the trigger... And then you may see a rush of countries going forward with it.”
5. Peru
The Central Reserve Bank of Peru announced it had signed its first contract with the company Viettel Peru to begin work on a CBDC pilot.
Want to learn more about what’s going on in the world with the rise of CBDCs? Check out the fully interactive HRF CBDC Tracker below!
1. The Bahamas
Facing lackluster adoption rates, Central Bank of The Bahamas governor John Rolle said commercial banks would soon be forced to distribute the CBDC.
2. Colombia
The Banco de la República de Colombia published a report that found “there are not sufficient reasons for the issuance of [a CBDC] (retail or wholesale) in Colombia.”
3. India
CBDC usage fell from 1,000,000 transactions per day in December to just 100,000 transactions per day. Given that 1M was only reached through a big push from the central bank, it seems there has been a struggle to generate organic demand.
4. Israel
Despite pushing a pilot forward, Bank of Israel deputy governor Andrew Abir said, “We’re all waiting for the first western central bank to pull the trigger... And then you may see a rush of countries going forward with it.”
5. Peru
The Central Reserve Bank of Peru announced it had signed its first contract with the company Viettel Peru to begin work on a CBDC pilot.
Want to learn more about what’s going on in the world with the rise of CBDCs? Check out the fully interactive HRF CBDC Tracker below!
CBDC Tracker
A CBDC is a digital national currency. In the case of the United States, a CBDC would be a digital form of the U.S. dollar whereas, in Nigeria, the...
Now that I've gotten my bearings on here, who are some folks that I should be following?
Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced on July 15 that the government would give out 10,000 baht through digital wallets.
Today, Prime Minister Thavisin was removed from office for violating the constitution (albeit, unrelated to the wallet).
https://www.cato.org/blog/thailand-uses-digital-wallet-10000-baht-handout