I walk through the global push for Central Bank Digital Currencies, why voluntary rollouts have mostly flopped, and what governments really gain from programmable, fully surveilled money.

I dig into the upcoming digital euro, the U.S. Senate’s move against a federal CBDC, and the rise of OpenUSD as an open stablecoin standard.

Ultimately I argue that while CBDCs are about control, the infrastructure they create may unintentionally supercharge a global Bitcoin exit ramp. I break down why this surveillance trap might give us our ultimate exit.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - CBDCs are inevitable

(00:01:19) - Sales pitch vs reality

(00:01:54) - The quiet part aloud

(00:02:30) - Programmable control layer

(00:03:26) - The inclusion myth

(00:06:04) - Global pilots are flopping

(00:08:53) - CBDCs and privacy

(00:10:16) - OpenUSD and surveillance

(00:11:21) - Stablecoins as a backdoor

(00:12:56) - Bitcoin literacy barrier

(00:13:21) - CBDCs will backfire

Affiliate Links

Host Links

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⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)

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References from the episode

CoinDesk.com: https://tinyurl.com/2a3zkokc

ICMAgroup.org: https://tinyurl.com/2cyxvsnc

Congress.gov: https://tinyurl.com/24qxpmm8

TheStreet.com: https://tinyurl.com/2ac54w2a

CoinDesk.com: https://tinyurl.com/2dm2kajl

Wiley.com: https://tinyurl.com/27ydh5q6

CentralBanking.com: https://tinyurl.com/2amemcsv

Reuters.com: https://tinyurl.com/yrpt6cug

CBDC Tracker: https://tinyurl.com/2xn6qxyj

CBDC Tracker: https://tinyurl.com/2dmtppbe

HRF.org: https://tinyurl.com/27ojcx72

Cato.org: https://tinyurl.com/23nltch2

EFF.org: https://tinyurl.com/2bx3dyhu

X.com: https://tinyurl.com/22yq2ftx

JoinOpenStandard.com: https://tinyurl.com/2399fw43

TFTC.io: https://tinyurl.com/28n9b2e8

CoinDesk.com: https://tinyurl.com/25mnrnjk

Europa.eu: https://tinyurl.com/24xvdqan