A shift in payments behavior brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic – and concerns that physical cash might be a vector for the disease's spread – could spur demand for digital methods like central bank-issued digital currencies (CBDC). That's one finding in a Bank of International Settlements (BIS) bulletin from April 3, which noted that "The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented public concerns about viral transmission via cash." And while "scientists note that the probability of transmission via banknotes is low when compared with other frequently-touched objects," as the notice points out, central banks have ... (full story)