E28 - Ian Woolford on Digital Cash in New Zealand

Ian Woolford has made a career working at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and presently he's the director of money and cash which is overseeing the CBDC or Digital Cash program. The RBNZ is partway through a series of consultations to get public feedback and opinion on a Reserve Bank issued digital currency.  In this conversation Ian makes it very clear that the Reserve Bank wants cash to remain as close to regular cash as possible meaning that anonymity is preserved, and activity is not tracked. Ian also highlights that innovation in banking by banks has been woeful and they hope to encourage non-bank players to innovate here to provide more options for Kiwis. Timestamps: 00:00 intro 03:05 rural access to cash & services 08:24 balancing physical and digital cash 10:56 is this a CBDC? 12:21 blockchain? 15:14 benefits of digital cash 19:36 innovation in cash  24:54 privacy 28:40 banking access for startups 30:22 rapidfire 33:02 fin Some notes from the show: rural cash trial program  cyclone Gabrielle cash shortage  ESAS settlement  Northern Rock's trouble  Nigeria's CBDC failure  Sweden's e-krona  Ecuador's Dinero Electronico   RBNZ privacy support paper  RBNZ Digital Cash Feedback  Contact Ian: LinkedIn RBNZ Find Jeff: X/Twitter LinkedIn  The BCNZ Pod: Website https://podcast.blockchain.org.nz/ YouTube  Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify  iHeartRadio  Media & Sponsorship Enquires: team@blockchain.org.nz  Recorded at blockheight 842510. The BCNZ podcast was founded in 2022 by Jeff Nijsse and Bryan Ventura.