After years of fighting back against the rise of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), I’m happy to share that the United States is the first country to prohibit its central bank from creating a CBDC.
The ban was passed as part of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. As the name suggests, the legislative package is primarily about housing policy—something my colleagues have written about at length. It’s only at the very end that Congress included a prohibition on the creation of both a retail and intermediated CBDC.
Given the risks of CBDCs, this passage marks a great win for financial freedom.
At the same time, however, this battle is not over. Unfortunately, Congress decided to have the ban expire at the end of 2030. This decision makes little sense. President Donald Trump already issued an executive order to ban the creation of a CBDC during his presidency. Once a new administration takes office and 2031 rolls around, these protections will disappear, and the door will reopen.
So celebrate today’s win, but don’t mistake it for the end of the story. The fight against the rise of CBDCs is not over yet.