Brazil’s central bank authorises business payments on WhatsApp
Peers can also send money in India, while B2B only is enabled in Singapore

Carstens sets out vision for future monetary system
Programmable money on shared ledger would preserve two-tiered structure

Is there a case for a retail CBDC in Japan?
A BoJ-managed, account-ledger ‘digital yen’ tied to the new Kotora payments may offer some potential

Social media: an essential tool for central bank communication
Strategies to secure popularity, comprehensibility and reputation as new media takes centre stage
(Un)stablecoins and central banks
Time to tackle stablecoin structures and support mechanisms
How to stop stablecoins from hoarding precious collateral
Repo markets expert and crypto bank chief exec think Fed reserves are the right answer
Social media ahead of traditional comms for central banks
High income institutions still skewed towards traditional channels
Transparency: Czech National Bank
New monetary policy report, and publication of attributed minutes and economic model raise the bar
Digital money and central banks
Monetary policy, regulatory and financial stability focus needed to stay relevant
Diem confirms sale of stablecoin technology
Facebook-backed project sold its last remaining assets to Silvergate Capital
Facebook-backed stablecoin project to wind down, report says
Project formerly known as Libra had struggled to gain regulatory approval
Central bank social media trends in the ‘Instagram age’
Uptake of visual social media platforms rises, as Facebook usage plateaus
ECB launches digital euro project
Central bank supports European Commission plan for e-identity rollout across the eurozone
Officials’ public appearances ranged from rare to frequent in 2020
Central banks take different approaches to senior officials’ online presence
Benoît Cœuré on CBDCs, stablecoins and central bank fintech co-operation
BIS Innovation Hub chief speaks about fintech risks for supervisors and monetary policy-makers, and hub development plans
Zhang Tao on the IMF’s fintech agenda, CBDCs and big tech oversight
IMF deputy MD speaks about the fund’s views on CBDC operating frameworks and macrofinancial surveillance
A bellwether moment for CBDC plans
Launch of ‘sand dollar’ may herald a new era of CBDCs as Fed and ECB step up their preparations
Ulrich Bindseil on the launch of the digital euro
ECB’s payments head speaks about the functionality, tiering and technology of the eurozone’s planned CBDC
Book notes: The currency cold war, by David Birch
Pleasant and interesting read on if digital money will jeopardise US dollar’s dominance in global trade and finance
How can central banks secure the future of money?
Central banks should start tackling the accounting, legal and policy challenges related to CBDC
Websites are top currency communication tool
More than two thirds of currency managers use social media
Bailey urges early intervention on stablecoin risks
BoE governor says multi-currency stablecoins do not appear to be viable payment systems at present
Facebook’s libra could disrupt collateral markets – IMF paper
Collateral used to back ‘stablecoins’ such as libra will be unavailable for reuse
Central banking enters a new era
‘Monetary financing’ and ‘buyer of last resort’ traps lie in wait