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Bank of Mexico Announces Its Own Central Bank Digital Currency by 2024

Mexico Plans a Digital Currency by 2024

Please consider Bank of Mexico Plans to Launch Digital Currency by 2024.

The Bank of Mexico plans to put its own digital currency in circulation by 2024 to use the latest payments technology to foment financial inclusion in an economy that relies on cash for most transactions, according to the Mexican government.

The central bank considers it important “to use these new technologies and latest-generation payments infrastructure as valuable options to advance financial inclusion in the country,” the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a tweet late Wednesday.

The Bank of Mexico has said it is studying the development of a digital currency in several phases. It will use as a basis for the platform the current electronic payments system to expand payment options “under a rapid, safe and efficient” framework, the bank said in a recent report.

Central bank authorities have been in talks with financial institutions about the implementation and the infrastructure needed to launch a digital currency that could be used for basic transactions, a person familiar with the Bank of Mexico’s plans said.

A large number of transactions are done with cash, particularly given the large informal economy, which in 2020 accounted for around 22% of Mexico’s gross domestic product.

That last paragraph explains what you need to know. 22% of the economy is informal and taxes are not collected on a huge chunk of it.

In June, Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego said he was working on having his Banco Azteca become the first bank in Mexico to accept bitcoin.

The Central Bank squashed the idea but it was going nowhere anyway. 

People who hold Bitcoin certainly don’t want to convert it to Pesos or even put it in a bank.

The UK Considers a New Central Bank Digital Currency, What Happens to Cash?

On April 19, I noted The UK Considers a New Central Bank Digital Currency, What Happens to Cash?

About a year ago the Bank of England released a paper on the Opportunities, Challenges, and Design of Central Bank Digital Currencies.

Today, the Financial Times reports UK Considers Creating Central Bank Digital Currency.

The Financial Times commented the “Aim would be to future proof sterling against cryptocurrencies and improve the payments system

The idea that one can future proof fiat currencies against anything is of course ludicrous.

What About Physical Cash?

The BoE said a digital version of sterling would not replace either physical cash or existing bank accounts.

Yeah, right.

Q: Once central banks can track every penny, guess what?
A: They will track every penny

Once in place, if governments ever decide people are “hoarding” money they will consider putting time limits on it to force people to spend it.

That’s what’s coming. And the pace seems to be picking up. No one wants China to be the first.

Welcome to the Central Bank Hotel, Once Inside You Can Never Leave

On September 24, 2021 I commented Welcome to the Central Bank Hotel, Once Inside You Can Never Leave

Central bank digital currencies are on the way. The German Central Bank just embraced a digital euro. Let’s discuss the risks.

The risks are obvious.

  • Expiring Money
  • Increasingly Negative Interest Rates
  • Withdrawals Capped
  • Withdrawals Taxed
  • Gifts Taxed

And once inside you can never leave.

Livin’ it up at the Hotel Fedifornia has a nice ring to it. ECBifornia isn’t as catchy. 

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39 Comments
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Oldest Most Voted
StukiMoi
StukiMoi
4 years ago
Upside is, the same devices required to transact in Fed scrip, will likely also be powerful enough to handle more useful money. Computing power and network access being effectively pushed out to large numbers of people who previously had neither, is not a bad thing.
ohno
ohno
4 years ago
Another one of those ‘crazy conspiracy theories’ coming to fruition.  Just like getting rid of private car ownership.  The US govt can pound sand.
PreCambrian
PreCambrian
4 years ago
Don’t blame California. It doesn’t even make sense to bring it up in this post.
You also use the slippery slope argument, which is a logical fallacy. All your concerns could be in effect now although cash based transactions would be missed. If what you are worried about would come to pass, then people would find a way around it. Informal barter instead of informal cash transactions. Most people are basically cashless now. It isn’t worthwhile to carry a lot of cash.
Tex
Tex
4 years ago
Sister Lucia, in a 1946 interview with historian and author William Thomas Walsh, confirmed that what was in store for the world if it did not heed the call of Fatima was that every country, without exception, would be overcome by Communism. The United States of America was not exempt despite its deep Christian roots. Our Lady of Fatima, William Thomas Walsh, p. 221, Image Books, 1954 — I’m not a Catholic but of the Judeo-Christian persuasion. I believe Sister’s words. I’ve long believed that Earth is rapidly approaching having a One World Ruler, which obviously will be a Communist, and likely Chinese. Then, the End, but not The End, will follow in due course.
Zardoz
Zardoz
4 years ago
Reply to  Tex

Prophecy! We’ve reached max kookiness now!

RonJ
RonJ
4 years ago
Klaus Schwab: you will own nothing and be happy.
I hear Nancy Pelosi is worth over $300 million. I am sure she is happy about Schwab’s plan. Rumor is that she is looking for property in Florida, which has no state income tax. I read she bought a lot of call options recently.
Schwab even mused about us owning nothing, even our clothes. Government issue, i guess, just like the Army, or clothing rental, as a service. Rent-A-Center for all our needs.
Eddie_T
Eddie_T
4 years ago
I’ve been predicting this for maybe 3-4 years now. I now think the US will the the last to adopt sovereign crypto….and until we do, it will make the USD even stronger, for better or worse.
Rbm
Rbm
4 years ago

Maybe a Way to launder  drug money.  

Bam_Man
Bam_Man
4 years ago
“New & Improved” fake money.
The rubes are sure to fall for it.
BDR45
BDR45
4 years ago
It’s well known that people are ingenious about avoiding/evading taxes. There’s already a lot of US paper currency in Mexico. Until the US government goes totally digital currency, US paper money will substitute for pesos in Mexico. 
thimk
thimk
4 years ago
Reply to  BDR45
Yes business as usual for the cartels .
Captain Ahab
Captain Ahab
4 years ago
Next up, Tor Dollars, for transactions you want to keep private.
Doug78
Doug78
4 years ago
What worries me is how am I going to pay for illegal goods and services inside Zuck’s Meta if there is no cash.
Eddie_T
Eddie_T
4 years ago
Reply to  Doug78
Bitcoin?
Doug78
Doug78
4 years ago
Reply to  Eddie_T
Can’t work. Zuck would have a record of it. If a criminal organization like a Swiss private bank could buy real estate in the Meta then it might be possible because the illegal payments could be swamped by the legit ones making them hard to see. I’ll have to look into it. If I were a criminal how could I prosper in the Meta?
Eddie_T
Eddie_T
4 years ago
Reply to  Doug78
For those who must stay outside the system, I recommend physical gold for large transactions. Still fungible, portable, and private. Investing in the Metaverse is akin to crypto, and apt to be so volatile as to be useless other than brief exposures. Now…if you COULD maybe barter some Ape NFT for a Rembrandt? That might work.
Doug78
Doug78
4 years ago
Reply to  Eddie_T
Gold could be used for small transactions but there is a problem. How can you know if the gold is pure? A small hand-held instrument will have to be made that could determine the purity by using weight and volume. Just zap it and you can be confident of its worth. I wonder if it’s on the market already. 
Call_Me
Call_Me
4 years ago
It’s all about control and progressively extracting more from the citizenry.  Imagine being able to assess sales tax for every transaction between two parties – think of the uncaptured revenue!
Call_Me_Al
Captain Ahab
Captain Ahab
4 years ago
Reply to  Call_Me
Think of those remittance payments from (illegal aliens in) the USA being taxed by Mexico….
Rbm
Rbm
4 years ago
Reply to  Captain Ahab
Good way to curb illegal immigration.   Tax money transferred to mexico. .  
Captain Ahab
Captain Ahab
4 years ago
Reply to  Rbm
That was how Trump should’ve gotten Mexico to pay for the wall. All outgoing remittances taxed at x%
TexasTim65
TexasTim65
4 years ago
Really curious how Mexico plans to make this work given the penetration of internet users is only 72%. That means 1 in 4 people aren’t even in the digital world at all. Clearly they will need to maintain a cash based society for a long time even after introducing a digital currency (that I suspect no hardly anyone uses).
Greggg
Greggg
4 years ago
Reply to  TexasTim65
Free ‘Bama phones for everyone?
Greenmountain
Greenmountain
4 years ago
Reply to  TexasTim65
But what about cell phones.  I think they are fairly ubiquitous.
TexasTim65
TexasTim65
4 years ago
Reply to  Greenmountain
Cell phones sort of imply your on the internet since they all come with internet capabilities these days.
My guess is rural and jungle covered Mexico has a lot of people who totally lack electric power at all never mind internet access.
Captain Ahab
Captain Ahab
4 years ago
Reply to  TexasTim65
The Great Implosion will occur before implementation. Central banks will be ransacked and the bankers beheaded. Hence the panic to achieve total control.  Happy New Year!
Eddie_T
Eddie_T
4 years ago
Reply to  Captain Ahab
If only…..lol.
Zardoz
Zardoz
4 years ago
Reply to  Captain Ahab
Just like 2006!
vanderlyn
vanderlyn
4 years ago
doubt it will dent the cash economy.   if and when MXN paper bills wear out,  USD will be used.   there are billions of them in physical form around globe.   off topic a bit,    i’m fairly certain Germany will keep their cash society.   
Webej
Webej
4 years ago
Ha ha.
Financial inclusiveness … means tax evasion, black market cash flows, second hand purchases, lawn sales, paying the baby-sitter, and any privacy are impossible.
All of these proposals can be summed up succinctly & adequately with a single term: TOTALITARIANISM
Billy
Billy
4 years ago
The number one reason why I think we should go 100% digital currency is because illegal activities will all stop unless our government is corrupt. So if illegal drug trade continues or human trafficking or our politicians continue to get rich for unknown reasons then we all will know it’s time to get rid of all of our politicians and demand a full investigation and put them away for treason. Or if all illegal activities stop because every transaction is traceable, then we will be closer to a perfect system. 
TexasTim65
TexasTim65
4 years ago
Reply to  Billy
Ah yes, the old timeless argument of doing some evil in the name of good.
The problem is that it won’t be a perfect system for the reasons Mish outlined. Those in charge can and will do anything to the digital currency (your money) that they want to all in the name of the greater good. Thanks but no thanks.
Incidentally, you can still do plenty of illegal activities purely via the barter system which will get around digital currencies. Heck, you can still steal an item and sell it on eBay or some other site and get digital cash and thus do an illegal activity without any one being the wiser.
Greggg
Greggg
4 years ago
Reply to  Billy
I’ll take a decentralized currency for 600, Alex.
Captain Ahab
Captain Ahab
4 years ago
Reply to  Billy
More likely illegal activities will increase with untraceable transactions and greater impetus. Good luck investigating politicians.
Gloe
Gloe
4 years ago
Reply to  Billy
It would result in our “leaders” having total control over us.   “Eat less meat” will no longer be a suggestion when your digital currency will only allow you to buy one pound of meat per month.   How about your digital currency won’t work at all because you’re overdue for your flu shot, or your colonoscopy.  Just think of the possibilities! 
Zardoz
Zardoz
4 years ago
Reply to  Billy
Spoiler: our government is corrupt.
Maximus_Minimus
Maximus_Minimus
4 years ago
Max Keiser, who pushes bitcoin every chance he has, once said: “The government of El Salvador is going to use volcanic energy to produce electricity for mining bitcoins. It isn’t economically feasible to use volcanic energy directly (for humdrum necessities), but great for mining bitcoins.”
This seems to be the prevalent economic literacy of bitcoin pushers, and very central bankish.
Zardoz
Zardoz
4 years ago
What a stable place to put the thing that underpins your financial
System.
Greggg
Greggg
4 years ago
Backed by the full faith and credit of the Mexican government I suppose.   Same country that leveraged their oil about 1000%.  Yawn.

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