Digital Currencies and Energy Consumption /

Whether in crypto assets or in CBDCs, design choices can make an important difference to the energy consumption of digital currencies. This paper establishes the main components and technological options that determine the energy profile of digital currencies. It draws on academic and industry estim...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Agur, Itai
Other Authors: Deodoro, Jose, Lavayssiere, Xavier, Martinez Peria, Soledad.
Format: Journal
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2022.
Series:FinTech Notes; FinTech Notes ; No 2022/006
Subjects:
Online Access:Full text available on IMF
Description
Summary:Whether in crypto assets or in CBDCs, design choices can make an important difference to the energy consumption of digital currencies. This paper establishes the main components and technological options that determine the energy profile of digital currencies. It draws on academic and industry estimates to compare digital currencies to each other and to existing payment systems and derives implications for the design of environmentally friendly CBDCs. For distributed ledger technologies, the key factors affecting energy consumption are the ability to control participation and the consensus algorithm. While crypto assets like Bitcoin are wasteful in terms of resources, other designs could be more energy efficient than existing payment systems.
Item Description:<strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required
<strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required
Physical Description:1 online resource (30 pages)
Format:Mode of access: Internet
ISSN:2664-5912
Access:Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students