A Digital Rand?

In this episode of The Small Print, Bronwyn is joined by fintech entrepreneur Simon Dingle to discuss the possibility of the South African Reserve Bank launching its own digital currency. The episode looks at what central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are, why they are so attractive to governments, and how they are likely to affect the lives and livelihoods of citizens whose countries adopt that. They discuss how centralised and decentralised digital money may make private banks redundant, how these diametrically opposed systems can respectively erode and protect our privacy and freedoms, and why everyone needs to be informed as to the consequences and the differences between them. They also look at the far-future end game possibilities hinted at by the widespread adoption of digital money.

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Bronwyn Williams is a futurist, economist, trend analyst and host of The Small Print. Her day job as a partner at Flux Trends involves helping business leaders to use foresight to design the future they want to live and work in. You may have seen her talking about Transhumanism or Tikok on Carte Blanche, or heard her talking about trends on 702 or CNBC Africa where she is a regular expert commentator. When she's not talking to brands and businesses about the future, you will probably find her curled up somewhere with a (preferably paperback) book. She tweets at @bronwynwilliams.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bronwynwilliams

Flux Trends: https://www.fluxtrends.com/future-flux/futurist-in-residence/

Website: https://whatthefuturenow.com/

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Simon is a pack of mongeese stuffed into a tracksuit, pretending to be an adult human. When they're not running companies and talking to conference attendees about how to make stuff, "Simon" spends most of its time playing video games and wishing they were recording podcasts instead. Simon has been linked to activities in the fintech industry, including making things called 22seven, Luno, Curve, Lettuce, and authoring a book called In Math We Trust. 

Website: https://www.simondingle.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simondingle

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