Central bank digital currency
China to trial paying salaries using CBDC
State employees say finding merchants that accept the e-yuan is difficult
Zimbabwe will mint ‘digital gold token’, says governor
Mangudya says RBZ will offer “store of value” as alternative to foreign currency
Federal Reserve denies FedNow is a CBDC
Online sources post disinformation on payment system as anti-CBDC sentiment grows
Curaçao and Sint Maarten’s governor praises IMF analysis tool
Island nations are in no hurry to adopt CBDC, Richard Doornbosch says
CBDCs will change international monetary system – IMF panel
Bank of Mauritius governor says CBDCs may protect sovereignty and combat illicit financing
Central bankers cast doubt on utility of CBDC
“Element of Fomo” drives projects on even when purpose is unclear and resources lacking
Sweden does not yet need CBDC, inquiry finds
Report recommends strengthening access to cash and other offline payment methods
Rates round-up: Ghana and Thailand tighten
Many central banks in Africa, Asia and Europe still raising rates, but Angola continues cuts
Towards legal CBDCs
Officials at the Bank of Thailand and Bank of Jamaica on how their CBDC design choices interact with the law
Islamic banking most at risk of negative CBDC effects
IMF paper highlights risk of unremunerated and small retail deposits
CBDC needs good preparation, warn central bankers
Panellists say financial literacy, research and infrastructure must come first
Swift completes cross-border CBDC settlement pilot
Banque de France, Bundesbank and the MAS among central bank participants
BIS Project Icebreaker proposes cross-border retail CBDC model
Central banks used smart contracts and worked with FX providers to cut costs and risk
Brazil’s central bank authorises business payments on WhatsApp
Peers can also send money in India, while B2B only is enabled in Singapore
RBA outlines retail CBDC pilot projects
Australian central bank will test 14 use cases, working with major lenders and other firms
RBA official raises concerns over CBDC
Central bank proceeding with pilot despite potential drawbacks
Agent-based models shed light on CBDC dynamics
Take-up could be as high as 25% of total money, but depends on design choices, IMF research finds
Digital pound unlikely to be monetary policy tool – Cunliffe
Deputy governor says effect of paying interest unclear and could clash with other objectives
Carstens sets out vision for future monetary system
Programmable money on shared ledger would preserve two-tiered structure
Russia to launch CBDC pilot in April
Central bank exploring cross-border functionality to evade sanctions
BoT’s Sethaput on inflation dynamics, central bank mandates and multi-lateral payments
Thai governor speaks about higher inflation, sustainable finance challenges, CBDC experiments and payments governance
FSB outlines crypto and defi risks to financial stability
Future work will map “oracles”, “bridges” and other links with traditional finance
Bank of Japan to start CBDC pilot in April
Central bank presses ahead with designing a general purpose CBDC
Laotian central bank launches CBDC pilot
Bank of the Lao PDR working with Japanese government and fintech firm to test CBDC