Feb 13, 2023
By Pam Martens Timely article first published on June 7, 2022 *** Credit union and banking trade groups have released a joint letter to the chair and ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, warning of "devastating consequences" if the Federal Reserve moves forward with a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The letter was sent on May 25, one day before the Committee convened a hearing on "Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: Examining the Benefits and Risks of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency." That hearing took testimony from only one witness, Lael Brainard, the Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve. The fact that credit unions, which frequently serve unionized labor, joined with banking trade groups to sign off on the letter, lends credibility to the "devastating consequences" the letter enumerates of a Central Bank Digital Currency. A CBDC would allow the Federal Reserve to compete for deposits with credit unions and banks. The l