ABSTRACT
Central banks were originally invented to support and develop government borrowing on a formal basis, following the development of fungible securities and the ongoing requirement to issue and maintain a reliable national currency. And if a central bank currency is only available digitally, and/or via a phone, then those vulnerable or already-excluded consumers might suffer again from lack of access and see a second, more serious, financial exclusion. Central banks around the world are already paying close attention to blockchains and are assessing, either alone or in concert, the potential risks and benefits that blockchains might bring to their own national currency and banking systems. The financial ministry is usually the sponsoring democratic entity overseeing the Treasury or treasury function. Payment processing and settlement is an adopted role within central banks as the development of payments and settlement software has grown since the 1950s.
