---
title: Digital currencies and geopolitics with Ananya Kumar
description: Explore the rise of Central Bank Digital Currencies and their impact on geopolitics with Ananya Kumar, Bryan DeAngelis, and Oliver Edelmann on What's At Stake. Tune in for insights on the future of global finance.
image: https://pentagroup.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/CBDC-updated.jpg
---

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Podcasts

# Digital currencies and geopolitics with Ananya Kumar

![](https://pentagroup.com/hubfs/dateIcon.png) May 2, 2024

![](https://pentagroup.com/hubfs/person.png) Bryan DeAngelis

Economy, Deglobalization, Financial services

This week on What's At Stake, our host Bryan DeAngelis, partner at Penta and head of the Washington, D.C. office, is joined by Oliver Edelmann, director at Penta, and Ananya Kumar, the associate director for digital currencies at the [Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center](https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/geoeconomics-center/), to discuss Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Just a few years ago, less than 30 countries were exploring a CBDC—as of this week, over 130 countries are doing so. Ananya, Bryan, and Oliver break down this trend and discuss the increasing digitization of payments and services and highlight the CBDC projects we should be paying attention to.

More broadly, Ananya, Bryan, and Oliver discuss U.S. power projection through the dollar in geopolitical conflicts, the role that the Fed should play in CBDCs, and the future of the global financial system. Tune in!

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