We examine how demographic factors influence potential output, focusing on how the age distribution of the working-age population and the old-age dependency ratio affect aggregate productivity. Following Feyrer (2007), we emphasize that the contribution to aggregate productivity varies by age...

We provide an update on cryptoasset ownership in Canada using data from the Bitcoin Omnibus Survey conducted in late 2023. Bitcoin ownership remained stable at around 10% in 2023 and continues to be concentrated among men, younger individuals and those with higher income and levels of education....

In times of stress, if the potential demand from asset managers for market liquidity approaches or exceeds dealers' ability to intermediate, it could lead to a precautionary but disruptive dash for cash and may lead central banks to intervene. If the likelihood of such a dash for cash increases...

A flash loan is a special type of uncollateralized loan with zero default risk that is native to blockchain ecosystems. Since its inception in 2018, the technology has seen significant adoption across decentralized finance markets, having facilitated over US$2 trillion in lending activity in...

Designing inclusive and user-friendly digital payment systems is crucial to eliminate barriers faced by users. This research focuses on fostering empathy for and identifying the needs of users who exhibit behaviours that indicate they encounter accessibility or usability barriers in digital...

With the rapid digitization of financial transactions, central banks have given considerable focus in recent years to the research and development of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). While CBDCs could offer several advantages, there are concerns about end-user privacy. Traditional...

The Methods-of-Payment (MOP) Survey tracks consumer use of cash and other methods of payment. We present core findings from the 2024 MOP Survey, highlighting results from both the survey questionnaire and subsequent three-day shopping diary. Although cash holdings have increased in nominal...

We frame the wide spectrum of possible system architectures for an online retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) and identify a promising architecture well-suited for basic payments. We select OpenCBDC 2PC, a representative system design that fits this architecture and analyze it using a...

This paper studies the rapid increase since 2019 of Government of Canada (GoC) debt issuance alongside greater hedge fund participation at GoC bond auctions. We find a systematic relationship between GoC debt stock and hedge fund bidding shares at auction. We attribute this to hedge funds'...

We document recent changes in Canadian immigration, marked by an increasing prevalence of temporary residency. Using microdata from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, we show that temporary workers' characteristics and nominal wages have diverged from those of Canadian-born workers....