EconWithNick
Nick Anthony

https://www.cato.org/people/nicholas-anthony

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.

Public Key

npub1n2m8jv38n27myhsrm36jvj94qmnh79qfwxt3lktnuq04s3dpk8kq2agflr

NIP-05 Address

EconWithNick@verified-nostr.com

NIP-57 Address

nickanthony@strike.me

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsf4dnexgne40djtcpacafxfz6sdemlzsyhr9clm9e7q86cgksmrmqvtucd0

Author Public Key

npub1n2m8jv38n27myhsrm36jvj94qmnh79qfwxt3lktnuq04s3dpk8kq2agflr

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Last Notes

2024-11-14 14:45:39

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

2024-11-11 20:40:29

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)
https://m.primal.net/MAJX.png
https://m.primal.net/MAJY.png

2024-11-04 16:16:31

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

2024-10-31 17:05:01

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/

2024-10-16 16:26:15

I'm proud to share the @npub17xv…c9as 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.
https://m.primal.net/LXil.png
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.
https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/home
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.

2024-09-08 17:50:24

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The world needs both.

2024-09-07 17:33:27

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!
https://m.primal.net/KiQI.png
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 @npub17xv…c9as CBDC Tracker is here.
https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/home

2024-08-24 16:15:49

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.
https://crypto.news/harris-official-stance-on-crypto-update/

2024-08-22 13:00:51

What’s going on in the world of CBDCs?
Since July, I've made updates to 31 different regions in the @npub17xv…c9as CBDC Tracker. Let's walk through some of the highlights.
https://m.primal.net/KHxJ.png
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!
https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/home

2024-08-16 20:08:27

Now that I've gotten my bearings on here, who are some folks that I should be following?

2024-08-14 14:32:19

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

2024-08-12 20:04:12

This is a thing?
https://m.primal.net/JxbJ.png

2024-08-07 13:21:46

I’ve been reading the documentation for the digital wallet/CBDC rollout going on in Thailand and I couldn’t help but notice the logo on the coins on the left...
I’m not saying someone snuck the Bitcoin logo in the app, but I’ve rarely seen the baht symbol written with two lines. https://m.primal.net/JrMX.png

2024-08-05 13:29:12

A big shout out to the legend @npub1dnz…x52h for taking the time to feature my book in Forbes. If you're on the fence about the book, Frank provides a great walk through of what it offers.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankcorva/2024/08/05/the-world-doesnt-need-central-bank-digital-currencies-cbdcs/

2024-08-01 19:05:55

What a week. Today I had the opportunity to speak before the Senate and yesterday I spoke before the House to share my book and discuss the rise of CBDCs.
Major thanks goes out to Senator Lummis, the Bitcoin Policy Institute, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute for making these events happen.
https://m.primal.net/JlQC.jpg https://m.primal.net/JlQB.jpg

2024-07-29 15:30:08

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I'm hesitant to suggest anything yet since there are some changes on the way (I'll flag them for you once they go live) and I already like much of what you have done. However, one small thing may be to just replace where it says "TEXT" with "Summary"

2024-07-29 14:12:39

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I appreciate the silver lining!

2024-07-29 14:08:17

If you have not seen it, be sure to check out @npub18s5…z5c3's CBDC Tracker Bot to get updates from the HRF CBDC Tracker right here in Nostr!
#note1ht4…l0z3

2024-07-28 19:09:48

"As long as the final decision on the digital euro has not been taken, it makes little sense for the Eurosystem to launch a large-scale public awareness drive." - Deutsche Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel
I could not disagree more. People should know what their governments are doing.
The need for this transparency is precisely why I have been working with the Human Rights Foundation on the @npub17xv…c9as CBDC Tracker to document CBDC development around the world.
Furthermore, the need for transparency is also why I wrote my book to provide everything you need to get up to speed on CBDCs.
From the myths to the risks, this book will help you decode what "CBDC" means for the future of money.
https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/home

2024-07-19 16:10:13

During @npub17xv…c9as's Dissidents and Dictators podcast, Elisha Maldonado asked a great question: How do CBDCs and Bitcoin compare and contrast?
As luck would have it, I addressed this very question on the second page of my book. In short, a CBDC is the opposite of Bitcoin. https://m.primal.net/JWaN.png
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQuTwImkNeQ

2024-07-19 14:55:00

I decided to check in on Lebanon's CBDC development. I remembered the central bank was planning to launch one in 2021, but it never came out.
Lo and behold, I now see what caused the delay: Banque du Liban governor Riad Salameh left his post and has been sanctioned for running an international corruption scheme.
Salameh was the one leading the charge on CBDCs.

2024-07-18 17:23:33

Last data from the HRF CBDC Tracker shows 11 countries and the 8 islands that compose the ECCU have launched CBDCs; 39 countries, the Eurozone, and Hong Kong have CBDC pilot programs; and 65 countries, 2 currency unions, and Macao are researching CBDCs.
https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/home

2024-07-18 17:20:36

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Thank you, @npub1xsw…p4xw! You're too kind

2024-07-18 13:51:07

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Thank you!

2024-07-17 18:38:34

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haha this is great!

2024-07-17 18:01:20

If you have friends who curious about nostr, Roger Huang's guide is definitely a great introduction and guide.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/07/17/your-guide-to-nostr-the-decentralized-network-for-everything/

2024-07-17 13:23:49

Out to Freddie New for making the case against CBDCs at the Crypto Revolution Conference!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqQo6aKKs-0

2024-07-12 15:02:09

People aren't using the CBDC in The Bahamas so now the central bank is planning to force banks to distribute it.
Unfortunately, this is far from surprising.

2024-06-25 17:28:46

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Sadly, that seems to be getting to be more common. Eddington also pointed out the BBC, the Associated Press, ABC, and The New York Times all failed to mention "how the 'leader of the free world' used patently undemocratic methods not only to hide criminal conduct by its military but also to politically and legally destroy Assange and Chelsea Manning."

2024-06-25 15:50:29

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Ah, yes. There were a few recent tweaks to the format. And there's a few in the pipeline to help improve the UX. I'll make sure I flag them once they go live.

2024-06-25 15:46:46

There's certainly good reason to celebrate the news of Julian Assange's release.
However, it's important to not lose sight of just what has taken place over the years. As Patrick Eddington notes, "The US government’s successful multi-year pursuit of Assange was meant to send a message to any others considering exposing federal government wrongdoing in the national security arena: we will make the story about you, not our crimes, and we will get you, one way or another."
So while the news was indeed welcome, there is still much to be done.
https://www.cato.org/blog/assange-process-was-punishment

2024-06-20 14:07:18

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That is so cool! Thank you for flagging it!

2024-06-19 16:56:10

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Thank you, Calle! The same goes to you --- you're doing amazing work to push things forward and make financial privacy more accessible.