Cross-Border CBDC Systems
How central banks are building instant, low-cost international payment networks without intermediaries
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Programmable Money
The $150 Trillion Problem
Moving money across borders is slow, expensive, and opaque. A payment from New York to Shanghai can take 3-5 days, cost $50 in fees, pass through 4 intermediary banks, and fail without explanation. CBDCs promise to fix this—enabling instant, near-free, transparent international transfers.
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Today's Reality
- • 3-5 days settlement
- • 2-7% fees ($25-50 typical)
- • 2-5 intermediary banks
- • No transparency
- • High failure rates
- • SWIFT messaging (1970s tech)
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CBDC Future
- • Seconds settlement
- • 0.01-0.1% fees ($0.10-1)
- • 0 intermediaries (P2P)
- • Full transparency
- • Atomic transactions
- • Real-time messaging
🌍Why It Matters
$150 trillion crosses borders annually. Even 1% efficiency gains save $1.5 trillion in fees and time. For remittances (workers sending money home), costs drop from 6-7% to under 1%—life-changing for families depending on every dollar.