OMFIF Article - Digital Renminbi is No Threat to the US Dollar

The OMFIF publishes this article which argues that the US dollar will not be significantly impacted by a so called "digital renminbi".   Below are a couple of excerpts. I added underline for emphasis.

"More than 50 years after Valéry Giscard d’Estaing lamented the dollar’s ‘exorbitant privilege’ and two decades after the euro’s launch was seen as a threat to dollar domination, the latest mutation has hit – will the digital renminbi surpass the dollar? Adding to the fog are errant questions about whether the dollar’s demise will be fast and furious, and whether it is a winner takes all hegemonic proposition.

Those arguing for a surge in the digital renminbi’s global role seem to view digitalisation as a revolution in the international currency landscape. But large global trade and capital flows already predominantly take place in digital form. Digitalising a central bank currency is not a game changer. But that doesn’t mean that the US doesn’t have much needed work to do in strengthening its payments systems."

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"The question facing the US is not how to protect the dollar’s global role. Rather, the US should focus on maintaining a healthy economy. Promoting strong economic performance, restoring buffers after the pandemic, tackling challenges and buttressing robust institutions and openness will ensure that the dollar’s vibrant global role is maintained."

Please click here to read the full article

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My added comment: While the US has vast political differences, one thing has remained constant so far. No matter who has political power, the US does in fact make every effort to "protect the dollar's global role". So far that seems to remain unchanged with the new Administration. Time will tell us if any real change does take place in that regard.

IMF - US Dollar Share of Global Foreign Exchange Reserves Drops to 25-Year Low

This new report from the IMF confirms a long term trend of gradual movement away from the US dollar continues. At the same time, the report also confirms what has been reported here for many years in that monetary system changes tend to move slowly unless something unexpected forces more rapid change. Below are some excerpts from the report.

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"The share of US dollar reserves held by central banks fell to 59 percent—its lowest level in 25 years—during the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the IMF’s Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves (COFER) survey. Some analysts say this partly reflects the declining role of the US dollar in the global economy, in the face of competition from other currencies used by central banks for international transactions. If the shifts in central bank reserves are large enough, they can affect currency and bond markets."

. . . . 

"Turning to this past year, once we account for the impact of exchange rate movements (orange line), we see that the US dollar’s share in reserves held broadly steady. However, taking a longer view, the fact that the value of the US dollar has been broadly unchanged, while the US dollar’s share of global reserves has declined, indicates that central banks have indeed been shifting gradually away from the US dollar."

. . . . 

"Despite major structural shifts in the international monetary system over the past six decades, the US dollar remains the dominant international reserve currency. As our Chart of the Week shows, any changes to the US dollar’s status are likely to emerge in the long run."