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
Full viewThis 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 — 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 non‑national settlement instruments.
- Implies there are alternative settlement units (SDR) whose value is linked to a basket of currencies, offering a potential non‑USD settlement approach though not identical to CBDC.
Describes CBDCs as legal‑tender digital money, faster payments, and built on DLT — 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 cross‑border DLT pilots.
Explains central banks issue digital currencies to meet public need and to retain control versus private cryptocurrencies — showing central banks’ 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 cross‑border 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 CBDC‑to‑CBDC arrangements could substitute.
Describes cryptocurrencies as decentralized internet‑transferred money and notes cross‑border transferability (and risks), providing an example of non‑dollar digital value transfer outside traditional rails.
One could analogise that CBDCs might combine sovereign backing with decentralised rails to permit non‑USD cross‑border payments, then check legal/treatment and technical interoperability differences between crypto and CBDCs.
- Provides a concrete example where the central authority imposed a deadline to surrender and exchange currency (demonetisation), showing monetary units can be given time-limited validity.
- Demonstrates that a sovereign issuer can legally and operationally set a time-frame for currency acceptance or exchange.
- States CBDCs would use blockchain / Distributed Ledger Technology, a platform that can support programmable rules on digital assets.
- Links the design of an e‑rupee/CBDC to technologies that make conditional or automated features technically feasible.
- Explains why central banks would issue digital currency — to retain control over the financial system versus private crypto alternatives.
- Implicates that central banks, when issuing a digital currency, have the motive and authority to design its features (including conditionality).
- [THE VERDICT]: Medium/Conceptual. Statement 2 is a standard feature mentioned in tech explainers (programmable money). Statement 1 is a logical inference from the 'De-dollarization' debates covered in Current Affairs.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Money & Banking > Digital Public Infrastructure > Evolution of Money (Fiat -> Digital -> CBDC).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: 1. **e-RUPI vs e-Rupee:** e-RUPI is a prepaid voucher (programmable), e-Rupee is legal tender (can also be programmable). 2. **SWIFT Alternatives:** SFMS (India domestic), SPFS (Russia), CIPS (China). 3. **Settlement Risk:** CBDC eliminates settlement risk (Herstatt risk) as it is central bank liability, unlike UPI (commercial bank liability). 4. **Offline Functionality:** CBDC can transact via NFC/Bluetooth without internet (unlike UPI). 5. **Wholesale vs Retail:** Wholesale (e₹-W) for interbank, Retail (e₹-R) for public.
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Don't just memorize definitions. Ask the 'Capability Question': What can this tech do that physical cash cannot? (Answer: Expire, restrict usage). What can it do that UPI cannot? (Answer: Cross-border settlement without correspondent banks).
Central banks design, regulate and control authorized national payment systems which determine how digital money is transferred domestically.
High-yield for UPSC because questions often probe institutional roles in financial infrastructure; links to topics on monetary policy, financial regulation and payment system reforms; helps answer policy and governance questions about who can implement or control CBDC-based payments.
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > 10.Oversight of payment and settlement systems > p. 70
A CBDC is a central-bank-issued digital legal tender intended to provide cash-like trust, faster settlement and the technological features of digital payment systems.
Important for the exam because it frames debates on financial inclusion, digital payments and currency sovereignty; connects to fintech, currency design and debates over public vs private digital money; useful for questions asking advantages, risks and policy trade-offs of CBDCs.
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Advantages of CBDC > p. 79
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Why RBI launched e-Rupee? > p. 78
SDRs are a notional international reserve asset that cannot be used directly for purchases and must be exchanged for hard currencies through arrangements among countries.
Relevant for international finance questions on reserve assets, alternative settlement mediums and constraints on non-dollar mechanisms; helps evaluate whether non-dollar instruments can practically replace dollar-based settlement systems in cross-border trade.
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 13: International Organizations > 1 SDR = 0.434 US Dollar + 0.293 Euro + 0.123 Yuan + 0.076 Yen + 0.074 Pound > p. 398
Distributed Ledger Technology underpins CBDC design and enables automated, conditional rules on digital money.
High-yield for UPSC because it links technical design choices to policy outcomes (e.g., targeted transfers, expiry rules). Helps answer questions on digital payments architecture, fintech policy, and operational risks; connects to cyber security and payments regulation.
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Advantages of CBDC > p. 79
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > What are Crypto currencies? > p. 77
A sovereign issuer can impose time-limited validity or deadlines for currency exchange, as in demonetisation.
Important for essays and prelims/GS papers on monetary tools and currency management; links to legal tender, monetary control, cash-to-digital transition and policy responses in crises.
- Understanding Economic Development. Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: SECTORS OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY > CHAPTER 3 : MONEY AND CREDIT > p. 37
- Macroeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Money and Banking > Central bank > p. 38
Central banks issue CBDCs to maintain control over money and counter private cryptocurrencies, allowing them to design currency features.
Useful for questions on currency sovereignty, regulatory policy, and macro stability; explains why design choices (programmability, limits) are policy levers and connects to financial stability and inclusion debates.
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Why RBI launched e-Rupee? > p. 78
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Advantages of CBDC > p. 79
The 'Offline Capability' of CBDC. While UPI requires internet/telecom, CBDC is designed to allow peer-to-peer transfers (wallet-to-wallet) via Near Field Communication (NFC) or Bluetooth in disconnected areas. This is the next logical question on CBDC features.
Apply the 'Technological Possibility' Heuristic. Statement 1 uses 'It is possible' and Statement 2 describes a software feature ('condition programmed'). In the context of digital tech, unless a feature violates the laws of physics or basic economics, 'possibility' is usually True. Digital code is inherently programmable; therefore, Statement 2 must be correct.
Link Statement 2 (Programmability) to **GS-2 Governance (DBT)**. Programmable CBDC solves the 'fungibility' problem in welfare—e.g., a fertilizer subsidy token that *cannot* be spent on alcohol. This ensures 'End-Use Verification' without administrative overhead.