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American billionaire and hedge fund manager Ray Dalio has warned that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are coming, which will offer benefits but also potentially allow governments to exert more control over people’s finances.
“I think it will be done,” said Dalio on CBDCs in a wide-ranging interview on the Tucker Carlson Show on Monday, which also included topics on the US debt crisis, gold prices, and even a potential civil war.
Raymond Dalio is a billionaire hedge fund manager who has been co-chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates since 1985, after founding the firm in 1975.
During the interview, Dalio said CBDCs could be appealing due to the ease of transactions, comparing them to money market funds in functionality, but he also cautioned about their downsides.
He said there will be a debate, but CBDCs “probably won’t” offer interest, so they will not be “an effective vehicle to hold because you’ll have the depreciation [of the dollar].”
Dalio also cautioned that all CBDC transactions will be known to the government, which is good for controlling illegal activity, but also provides a great deal of control in other areas.
“There will be no privacy, and it’s a very effective controlling mechanism by the government.”
Taxation, forex controls and political debanking
A programmable digital currency will enable the government to tax directly, “they can take your money,” and establish foreign exchange controls, he said.
That will be an “increasing issue,” particularly for international holders of that currency, as the government can seize funds from nationals of sanctioned countries.
Dalio also said that you could be “shut off” from a CBDC if you were “politically disfavored.”
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An American CBDC is not likely to be deployed in the near future, however, as US President Donald Trump has been vocally opposed to them.
Soon after taking office in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order prohibiting “the establishment, issuance, circulation, and use” of a US CBDC.
Only three countries have launched a CBDC
According to the Atlantic Council’s CBDC tracker, only three countries have officially launched one: Nigeria, Jamaica, and The Bahamas.
49 countries are in the pilot testing phase, including China, Russia, India, and Brazil. 20 nations have a CBDC in development, and 36 are still researching central bank digital currencies.
India’s central bank reportedly proposed an initiative in January linking BRICS CBDCs to facilitate cross-border trade and tourism payments.
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