Virtual Currencies and Beyond: Initial Considerations

This paper discusses the potential benefits and risks posed by VCs and how financial regulators could approach them. The paper begins by explaining what VCs are, and how they work. It then examines key features and related developments in distributed ledger technologies underlying decentralized VCs, along with their potential use for financial development and financial inclusion. The paper subsequently discusses the policy and regulatory implications of VCs generally and concludes with a brief discussion of areas for future analysis.