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Can We Stabilize the Price of a Cryptocurrency?: Understanding the Design of Bitcoin and Its Potential to Compete with Central Bank Money

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Listed:
  • Iwamura, Mitsuru
  • Kitamura, Yukinobu
  • 北村, 行伸
  • Matsumoto, Tsutomu
  • Saito, Kenji

Abstract

Although Bitcoin was designed as a payment vehicle and as a store of value, it seems unlikely that currencies provided by central banks are at risk of being replaced, primarily because of the market price instability of Bitcoin. We diagnose the instability as being a symptom of the lack of flexibility in the Bitcoin supply schedule - a predetermined algorithm in which the proof of work is the major driving force. This paper explores the problem of instability from the viewpoint of economics, and suggests a new monetary policy for stabilizing the values of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Iwamura, Mitsuru & Kitamura, Yukinobu & 北村, 行伸 & Matsumoto, Tsutomu & Saito, Kenji, 2019. "Can We Stabilize the Price of a Cryptocurrency?: Understanding the Design of Bitcoin and Its Potential to Compete with Central Bank Money," Hitotsubashi Journal of Economics, Hitotsubashi University, vol. 60(1), pages 41-60, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:hit:hitjec:v:60:y:2019:i:1:p:41-60
    DOI: 10.15057/30361
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ross M. Starr, 2012. "Why is there Money?," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13763.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pınar Kaya Soylu & Mustafa Okur & Özgür Çatıkkaş & Z. Ayca Altintig, 2020. "Long Memory in the Volatility of Selected Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, May.
    2. Chung, Kenneth Hsien Yung & Li, Dan & Adriaens, Peter, 2023. "Technology-enabled financing of sustainable infrastructure: A case for blockchains and decentralized oracle networks," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    3. Romi Kher & Siri Terjesen & Chen Liu, 2021. "Blockchain, Bitcoin, and ICOs: a review and research agenda," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1699-1720, April.
    4. Fenghua Wen & Xin Yang & Xu Gong & Kin Keung Lai, 2017. "Multi-Scale Volatility Feature Analysis and Prediction of Gold Price," International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making (IJITDM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(01), pages 205-223, January.
    5. Makoto Saito, 2021. "Central Bank Cryptocurrencies in a Competitive Equilibrium Environment: Can Strong Money Demand Survive in the Digital Age?," Advances in Japanese Business and Economics, in: Strong Money Demand in Financing War and Peace, pages 161-189, Springer.
    6. Christoph Wronka, 2024. "Crypto-asset activities and markets in the European Union: issues, challenges and considerations for regulation, supervision and oversight," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(1), pages 84-93, March.
    7. Lin, Min-Bin & Khowaja, Kainat & Chen, Cathy Yi-Hsuan & Härdle, Wolfgang Karl, 2020. "Blockchain mechanism and distributional characteristics of cryptos," IRTG 1792 Discussion Papers 2020-027, Humboldt University of Berlin, International Research Training Group 1792 "High Dimensional Nonstationary Time Series".
    8. 斉藤, 賢爾 & SAITO, Kenji & 副島, 豊 & SOEJIMA, Yutaka & 杉浦, 俊彦 & SUGIURA, Toshihiko & 北村, 行伸 & KITAMURA, Yukinobu & 岩村, 充 & IWAMURA, Mitsuru, 2023. "Ethereum Proof of Stake は持続可能か : スマートコントラクト基盤間競争の観点から考える, Is Ethereum Proof of Stake Sustainable? : Considering from the Perspective of Competition Among Smart Contract Platforms," Discussion Paper Series 748, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    9. Chen, Xia & Miraz, Mahadi Hasan & Gazi, Md. Abu Issa & Rahaman, Md. Atikur & Habib, Md. Mamun & Hossain, Abu Ishaque, 2022. "Factors affecting cryptocurrency adoption in digital business transactions: The mediating role of customer satisfaction," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    10. Koichiro Kamada, 2017. "The Transactions Demand for Paper and Digital Currencies," IMES Discussion Paper Series 17-E-06, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan.
    11. Julián A. Parra & Carlos Arango & Joaquín Bernal & José E. Gómez & Javier Gómez & Carlos León & Clara Machado & Daniel Osorio & Daniel Rojas & Nicolás Suárez & Eduardo Yanquen, 2019. "Criptoactivos: análisis y revisión de literatura," Revista ESPE - Ensayos sobre Política Económica, Banco de la Republica de Colombia, issue 92, pages 1-37, November.
    12. Meegan, Andrew & Corbet, Shaen & Larkin, Charles & Lucey, Brian, 2021. "Does cryptocurrency pricing response to regulatory intervention depend on underlying blockchain architecture?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    13. Park, Sangjin & Jang, Kwahngsoo & Yang, Jae-Suk, 2021. "Information flow between bitcoin and other financial assets," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 566(C).
    14. Sunghun Chung & Keongtae Kim & Chul Ho Lee & Wonseok Oh, 2023. "Interdependence between online peer‐to‐peer lending and cryptocurrency markets and its effects on financial inclusion," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 32(6), pages 1939-1957, June.
    15. Angela ROGOJANU & Liana BADEA, 2015. "The issue of “true” money in front of the BitCoin's offensive," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(2(603), S), pages 77-90, Summer.
    16. repec:agr:journl:v:2(602):y:2015:i:2(602):p:77-90 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Kenji Saito & Yutaka Soejima & Toshihiko Sugiura & Yukinobu Kitamura & Mitsuru Iwamura, 2023. "Is Ethereum Proof of Stake Sustainable? $-$ Considering from the Perspective of Competition Among Smart Contract Platforms $-$," Papers 2309.11394, arXiv.org.
    18. Mahboubeh Faghih Mohammadi Jalali & Hanif Heidari, 2020. "Predicting changes in Bitcoin price using grey system theory," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 6(1), pages 1-12, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bitcoin; cryptocurrency; currency competition; Friedrich A. Hayek; proof of work;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals
    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers

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