Oonagh McDonald CBE is an international expert in financial regulation. She has been a board member of the Financial Services Authority, the Investors Compensation Scheme, the General Insurance Standards Council and the Board for Actuarial Standards. She has also been a director of Scottish Provident, Skandia Insurance Company and the British Portfolio Trust. She was formerly a British Member of Parliament and was awarded a CBE in 1998 for services to financial regulation and business.Her books include Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Turning the American Dream into a Nightmare (2013), Lehman Brothers: A Crisis of Value (2015) and Holding Bankers to Account (2019). She now lives in Washington DC, having been granted permanent residence on the grounds of “exceptional ability”.

Harnessing her knowledge and experience following a long and distinguished career as a regulator and in the public sphere, Dr McDonald has produced an erudite and readable book on a very complex and puzzling issue that of digital currencies and alternative money. What sets this book apart from other similar attempts is clear and impartial analysis combined with a very good understanding of the nuts and bolts of digital currencies. It will prove a valuable companion for the lay reader with an interest in the rise of alternative money and a good source of study for the expert.

• 1. Introduction: Bitcoin beginnings2. New cryptocurrencies and new developments3. Stablecoins: the search for stability4. Initial coin offerings: the “Wild West”5. The regulatory response to ICOs6. Global stablecoins: Libra7. Reactions to stablecoins8. Central banks and central bank digital currencies9. The decline of cash10. Credit and trust11. Epilogue: the crypto winterAppendix: smart contracts

Oonagh McDonald CBE is an international expert in financial regulation. She has been a board member of the Financial Services Authority, the Investors Compensation Scheme, the General Insurance Standards Council and the Board for Actuarial Standards. She has also been a director of Scottish Provident, Skandia Insurance Company and the British Portfolio Trust. She was formerly a British Member of Parliament and was awarded a CBE in 1998 for services to financial regulation and business.Her books include Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Turning the American Dream into a Nightmare (2013), Lehman Brothers: A Crisis of Value (2015) and Holding Bankers to Account (2019). She now lives in Washington DC, having been granted permanent residence on the grounds of “exceptional ability”.

Harnessing her knowledge and experience following a long and distinguished career as a regulator and in the public sphere, Dr McDonald has produced an erudite and readable book on a very complex and puzzling issue that of digital currencies and alternative money. What sets this book apart from other similar attempts is clear and impartial analysis combined with a very good understanding of the nuts and bolts of digital currencies. It will prove a valuable companion for the lay reader with an interest in the rise of alternative money and a good source of study for the expert.

• 1. Introduction: Bitcoin beginnings2. New cryptocurrencies and new developments3. Stablecoins: the search for stability4. Initial coin offerings: the “Wild West”5. The regulatory response to ICOs6. Global stablecoins: Libra7. Reactions to stablecoins8. Central banks and central bank digital currencies9. The decline of cash10. Credit and trust11. Epilogue: the crypto winterAppendix: smart contracts

Oonagh McDonald CBE is an international expert in financial regulation. She has been a board member of the Financial Services Authority, the Investors Compensation Scheme, the General Insurance Standards Council and the Board for Actuarial Standards. She has also been a director of Scottish Provident, Skandia Insurance Company and the British Portfolio Trust. She was formerly a British Member of Parliament and was awarded a CBE in 1998 for services to financial regulation and business.Her books include Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Turning the American Dream into a Nightmare (2013), Lehman Brothers: A Crisis of Value (2015) and Holding Bankers to Account (2019). She now lives in Washington DC, having been granted permanent residence on the grounds of “exceptional ability”.

Harnessing her knowledge and experience following a long and distinguished career as a regulator and in the public sphere, Dr McDonald has produced an erudite and readable book on a very complex and puzzling issue that of digital currencies and alternative money. What sets this book apart from other similar attempts is clear and impartial analysis combined with a very good understanding of the nuts and bolts of digital currencies. It will prove a valuable companion for the lay reader with an interest in the rise of alternative money and a good source of study for the expert.

• 1. Introduction: Bitcoin beginnings2. New cryptocurrencies and new developments3. Stablecoins: the search for stability4. Initial coin offerings: the “Wild West”5. The regulatory response to ICOs6. Global stablecoins: Libra7. Reactions to stablecoins8. Central banks and central bank digital currencies9. The decline of cash10. Credit and trust11. Epilogue: the crypto winterAppendix: smart contracts