来源：《华盛顿邮报》
原文刊登日期：2022年3月13日
The United States just took a big step toward the creation of a “digital dollar." President Biden issued an executive order last week saying his administration is placing the “highest urgency” on researching and developing a central bank digital currency. The actual issuance of a digital dollar is almost certainly a few years off, but this was the strongest signal yet that the United States intends to be a leader in the future of money and digital assets.
美国刚刚朝着创造“数字美元”迈出了一大步。拜登总统上周发布了一项行政命令，称他的政府正在“最紧迫地”采取行动研究和开发中央银行数字货币。几乎可以肯定，数字美元的实际发行还有几年时间，但这是迄今为止最强烈的信号，表明美国打算成为未来货币和数字资产的领导者。
That the U.S. dollar remains the global reserve currency underscores the need for a thoughtful and flawlessly executed introduction of any digital dollar. The United States does not need to be first to issue a digital currency; it needs to be the best. The careful approach the Biden administration and Federal Reserve have taken here is the right one. The fact that about 100 countries are exploring some form of a central bank digital currency, according to the International Monetary Fund, is largely irrelevant. The U.S. dollar comes with well-established legal protections. The demand will be there when the United States makes its digital move.
美元仍然是全球储备货币，这凸显了引入任何数字美元都需要经过深思熟虑、执行得完美无缺。美国不需要成为第一个发行数字货币的国家；但它必须是最好的。拜登政府和美联储在这方面采取的谨慎做法是正确的。国际货币基金组织称，约100个国家正在探索某种形式的央行数字货币，这在很大程度上无关紧要。美元拥有完善的法律保护。当美国采取数字化行动时，需求就会出现。
There are many compelling reasons to have a digital dollar. At the top of the list are much faster transaction times, easier access to money for many, and less risk of fraud. If executed smoothly, it would help ensure the U.S. dollar remains the world’s most favored currency. As the Fed wrote in January, adding an official U.S. government digital currency is “a means to expand safe payment options, not to reduce or replace them.”
拥有数字美元有许多令人信服的理由。最重要的是更快的交易时间，对许多人来说更容易获得资金，以及更低的欺诈风险。如果执行顺利，这将有助于确保美元仍是世界上最受青睐的货币。美联储在1月份写道，美国政府的官方数字货币是“扩大安全支付选择的一种手段，而不是减少或取代美元。”
But there are also serious concerns and practicalities that must be worked out. How will people access the digital dollar? Will there be government-run “digital wallets,” or will those digital wallets occur only in the private sector? The Fed has indicated it does not particularly want to become a consumer bank. Similarly, would a digital dollar use blockchain technology, like bitcoin and other e-currencies? That would help prevent fraud, but it would be a huge expansion of blockchain usage. Finally, how will the government use all of the new data it collects from digital dollar users, and what privacy protections will be in place? Launching a digital currency will also be expensive, especially because of the need to ensure the system is not hacked.
但也有一些严重的关切和实际问题必须得到解决。人们将如何获得数字美元？是会有政府运营的“数字钱包”，还是这些数字钱包只会出现在私营部门？美联储已经表示，它并不特别想成为一家消费银行。类似地，数字美元会像比特币和其他电子货币那样使用区块链技术吗？这将有助于防止欺诈，但这将是区块链使用的巨大扩张。最后，政府将如何使用从数字美元用户那里收集的所有新数据，以及将采取哪些隐私保护措施？推出数字货币也会很昂贵，尤其是因为需要确保系统不被黑客入侵。
Innovation is fundamental to the U.S. economy, but so are security and rule of law. A digital dollar is coming, but it would be foolish to rush it.
创新是美国经济的基础，但安全和法治也是如此。数字美元即将到来，但仓促行事是愚蠢的。