Question map
With reference to Central Bank digital currencies, consider the following statements : 1. It is possible to make payments in a digital currency without using US dollar or SWIFT system. 2. A digital currency can be distributed with a condition programmed into it such as a time-frame for spending it. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 3 (Both 1 and 2).
Statement 1 is correct: Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) enable direct peer-to-peer transactions between nations. By using bilateral payment bridges or distributed ledger technology (DLT), countries can settle international trades without relying on the US Dollar as an intermediary or the SWIFT messaging system, which is currently the dominant global financial infrastructure.
Statement 2 is correct: CBDCs possess the unique feature of programmability. Using smart contracts, a central bank can embed specific conditions into the digital currency. This includes "purpose-bound" money or setting an expiry date (time-frame) for spending, which can be used as a monetary policy tool to stimulate consumption during economic slowdowns.
Since both statements accurately describe the functional and technological advantages of digital currencies over traditional fiat systems, Option 3 is the right choice.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis question tests the 'Functional Frontier' of a new technology. Statement 1 asks about the geopolitical utility (De-dollarization), and Statement 2 asks about the technical utility (Programmability). Standard books define CBDC, but you needed to connect it to the 'Why' (bypassing SWIFT) and the 'How' (smart contracts).
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Explains that cross-border settlement typically uses a global reserve currency (US dollar or Euro) because of liquidity availability.
- Highlights that a central bank acting as settlement agent, when not issuer of those currencies, cannot readily provide required liquidity â implying difficulty avoiding USD/EUR for settlement.
- States that the SWIFT network is the main messaging network used in account-to-account cross-border payments.
- Shows the breadth and entrenched role of SWIFT (connecting thousands of institutions in many countries), indicating it would be a major barrier to bypassing SWIFT.
- Presents the IMF's SDR as an alternative international reserve asset and an analogy for nonânational settlement instruments.
- Implies there are alternative settlement units (SDR) whose value is linked to a basket of currencies, offering a potential nonâUSD settlement approach though not identical to CBDC.
Describes CBDCs as legalâtender digital money, faster payments, and built on DLT â framing them as a national payment instrument that could operate differently from existing systems.
A student could infer that if a CBDC is legal tender and uses DLT, countries might route payments bilaterally over alternate rails rather than via dollar/SWIFT and then check examples of crossâborder DLT pilots.
Explains central banks issue digital currencies to meet public need and to retain control versus private cryptocurrencies â showing central banksâ motive and authority to create alternate payment instruments.
One could reason that sovereign backing makes other central banks more willing to accept a CBDC in payment arrangements; compare which countries have launched CBDC pilots and whether they settled outside USD/SWIFT.
States that the central bank typically drives national payment systems and authorises payment operators, implying central banks can design crossâborder connectivity rules for a CBDC.
Using this, a student can look for whether central banks have bilateral/ multilateral agreements or interoperable standards enabling CBDC transfers without routing through existing correspondent banking (SWIFT) links.
Explains SDRs are not directly usable to buy goods/services and must be exchanged for hard currencies, highlighting that international settlements often require conversion into widely accepted reserve currencies.
A student can use this pattern to ask whether CBDCs would need conversion into reserve currencies like the US dollar for international trade settlement, or whether direct CBDCâtoâCBDC arrangements could substitute.
Describes cryptocurrencies as decentralized internetâtransferred money and notes crossâborder transferability (and risks), providing an example of nonâdollar digital value transfer outside traditional rails.
One could analogise that CBDCs might combine sovereign backing with decentralised rails to permit nonâUSD crossâborder payments, then check legal/treatment and technical interoperability differences between crypto and CBDCs.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This tab shows concrete study steps: what to underline in books, how to map current affairs, and how to prepare for similar questions.
Login with Google to unlock study guidance.
Discover the small, exam-centric ideas hidden in this question and where they appear in your books and notes.
Login with Google to unlock micro-concepts.
Access hidden traps, elimination shortcuts, and Mains connections that give you an edge on every question.
Login with Google to unlock The Vault.