The Bank of Canada is looking to hire an economist who has a deep knowledge of financial technology and digital currencies, potentially signaling the latest in a series of steps towards a Canadian Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
According to the bank’s official page, the economist’s duties will be to monitor and analyze the latest developments related to electronic funds and payments, implement research projects, prepare analytical notes, and work on the “potential development of a CBDC.”
The Bank has defined a set of requirements that the applicant must meet, among which are an in-depth knowledge of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major cryptocurrency platforms, as well as familiarity with traditional payments systems like card networks, merchant acquirers, and point of sale technologies.
The applicant must also have experience in handling and analyzing public blockchain data and analyzing consumer survey data.
Oct. 25th, 2020 is the deadline for receiving applications.
The Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Canada, Timothy Lane, has recently called on central banks worldwide to issue their own digital currencies, highlighting their importance for the economy in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the Central Bank Payments Conference Lane also said that Canada’s CBDC development was progressing at "a good pace."
In laying the foundation for a CBDC, the Bank joins the Bank of England, the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan, among others, who have also begun conducting research into the viability of CBDCs.