Excellent 40 minutes of Catherine Austin Fitts on CBDCs (which may be rolling out next in New Zealand, after a failed launch in Nigeria last year)
They try things out in one setting, then another, till they get it right
In this installment of our series ‘Our Digital Future’, Alistair Harding speaks to financial guru Catherine Austin Fitts about the unified ledger, programmability, and the possibility of central bank control over how we spend our money.
And about that failed launch in Nigeria.
Why Did CBDC Fail in Nigeria? Valuable Lessons for Developing Countries
By Tuhu Nugraha
October 22, 2023
In the rapidly digitizing era, many nations are eyeing Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) as the future solution for payment systems. However, Nigeria’s case illustrates that transitioning to CBDC isn’t a straightforward path, especially for developing countries.
Based on an analysis by Nicholas Anthony on Coindesk, the Nigerian government attempted to propel a transition to a cashless economy by implementing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Yet, the imposed cash usage restrictions led to public protests demanding the restoration of paper money. Despite the government’s efforts to boost CBDC adoption, such as removing access restrictions and offering payment discounts, these initiatives proved fruitless.
Moreover, with cash withdrawal limits and currency redesigns, the situation worsened, triggering a cash shortage and escalating public dissatisfaction. Consequently, CBDC adoption in Nigeria remains abysmally low, with less than 0.5% of the population using it, while over 50% have embraced cryptocurrency. What can we learn from Nigeria’s CBDC failure?…