Electronic money and its impact on the role of the Central Bank in conducting monetary policy

In line with technological developments in the field of information technology, the use of electronic money for transaction purposes is greatly increased. Substitution of electronic money with the notes issued by the central bank has risen the question to what extent this new phenomenon affects the central bank’s control on the money supply and the successful implementation of monetary policy. By analyzing the effects that using electronic money can have on the supply and demand for money, this article tries to assess the power of the Central Bank to control the money supply. For this purpose, we first specify a demand function for notes and coins in such a way that it contains a variable representing the increased usage of electronic money. Then we specify a money supply function (liquidity) at the time that electronic money is boosting. With the aid of co-integration methodology, both equations are estimated by ARDL method and using time series data for the period 1338 to 1391. The results show that the use of electronic money reduces the demand for notes and coins, shrinks the monetary base and limits the power of Central Bank in conducting monetary policy. On the other hand, it is seen that the money supply is expanded along with the increasing use of electronic money. This means that using electronic money reduces the power of the Central Banks to control the money supply and hence the implementation of a successful monetary policy is not feasible.