If you run or work in financial services (banking, bitcoin, or anything else) in the Eurozone, dm me! I'm working on a follow-up to my piece calling out the ECB's "freedom money" campaign, and the perspective on the ground would be very helpful here.

Did you know Peru has 7.9 million sols ($2.36 million) in CBDC in circulation?

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...

Something to be thankful for: the South African Reserve Bank has officially announced "that while a retail CBDC is technically feasible ... there is no compelling immediate need for its implementation." More details 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...

In a moment of reflection, Central Bank of Nigeria official Musa Itopa Jimoha admit that the Nigerian CBDC experience had not been a "rosy story." Nigerians were not interested in the eNaira because the market was already providing solutions. He warned other central banks not to issue a CBDC unless there is a real problem that it will actually solve. Interestingly, he also advised creating a separate legal entity to handle the CBDC so that operations are not directly under the central bank. cbdctracker.hrf.org

If the ECB were concerned about the freedom to choose, it would have been campaigning for decades to remove financial restrictions and let new options flourish. Instead, what it’s really after is control. https://www.cato.org/blog/digital-euro-isnt-about-freedom

The ECB planning to force Apple to crack open its secure element is really all you need to know when it comes to whether you should trust the digital euro.

The ECB has picked up a new buzzword for its digital euro campaign: “freedom.” But don't be fooled, CBDCs are about control, not freedom. https://www.cato.org/blog/digital-euro-isnt-about-freedom

While discussing the Bank Secrecy Act, Representative Patman said the quiet part out loud. He congratulated the Treasury for going "rather far" and "making a long step here" to establish capital controls. The Treasury quickly shot back saying not to call it that.

Ah, yes, because the worst-case scenario is that people's needs are satisfied by the market.

More than half of the authoritarian regimes across the world are publicly working on CBDCs.

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 part of its CBDC development, the United Arab Emirates just conducted its first "government financial transaction using Digital Dirham."

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...

This is a wild exchange from the Bank Secrecy Act hearings in 1970. A member of Congress asks why innocent people need privacy, acknowledges Jewish people fleeing the holocaust, and then says "History is a lot of hogwash in this."

One of my favorite things about Bitcoin is that more people than ever are asking questions like, ‘What is money? What is privacy? What is sovereignty?’ It’s through that curiosity that people see what’s at stake. https://www.ccn.com/education/crypto/cbdcs-digital-euro-turn-money-into-control-nick-anthony/

It's a little funny promoting my Substack on here since followers get it directly cross-posted as reads. However, if you'd prefer my work in your inbox instead, sign up for my Substack where I cover CBDC developments, financial privacy, debanking, financial freedom, and more. Price of $0/₿0/₳0/€0/₦0/Kč0/₸0/¥0

Banking, Bureaucracy, and Beyond | Nick Anthony | Substack

Everything you need to stay up to speed on the policy conversations surrounding central bank digital currency, financial privacy, banking, and more...

Aimlessly wondering around Prague and I look up to find I’ve stumbled my way to the Czech Central Bank. It seems that even on my off days, I’m tracking central banks.

Many folks are reporting that the digital euro's 2029 launch date is "breaking news." Real ones know that info has been in the @HRF CBDC Tracker since July. 😉 🔗:

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...

Remember, anon: You can just do things.

Has anyone else noticed how the ECB is ramping up digital euro propaganda?

“A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash.” It’s there if you want it and it’s there if you need it. And frankly, nowadays, having an escape hatch feels more necessary than ever.

So many great questions came up at the Bank Secrecy Act event that I decided to follow up on all of those that couldn't be answered on stage. https://www.cato.org/blog/bank-secrecy-act-qa