Russian State Duma Official: International CBDC Settlements to Become ‘Common Practice’ in 5 Years

Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Financial Markets Committee, has predicted that international trade will migrate to CBDC for settlements during the next five years. Aksakov stressed that not many countries have made progress using these digital currencies, but he believes this will be addressed soon. Russian State Duma Official Bets on National … Read more

Cross Border CBDC Project Mbridge Enters MVP Stage

Project Mbridge, the cross-border central bank digital currency (CBDC) project that seeks to integrate several currencies into a global network, has reached its minimum viable product stage. This means that each one of the participant central banks has deployed a validating node in the network, that is ready to perform real-value transactions CBDC Project Mbridge … Read more

Central Bank of Qatar Announces CBDC Project

The Central Bank of Qatar recently announced the completion of the infrastructure development supporting an in-house-built CBDC. The bank estimates that the project will enter its experimental stages this year in October, allowing several national and international banks to test the functionality of this pilot by facilitating large payments among them. Qatar Announces CBDC Experimental … Read more

Digital Yuan App Drops ‘Pilot’ Description, Hints at Change to Production Ready Status

The digital yuan app, which services users of the Chinese CBDC, has dropped the ‘pilot’ label from its name without any announcement, prompting speculation about an upcoming move to production stages. While local Chinese news outlets explained that this change had to do with app requirements, some expect this might be a step before its … Read more

Rwanda Develops CBDC to Avoid Falling Behind, Central Bank Deputy Governor Says

Rwanda is contemplating launching a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) because it does not want to be left behind and to prevent any hindrances to trade between the African country and its major trading partners. According to a deputy governor with the National Bank of Rwanda, the country should be prepared for digital currencies being … Read more

BIS Plans Instant Cross-Border Payments Using Wholesale CBDC Settlement

In a move to improve traditional cross-border payments, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has announced the launch of Project Rialto. This project aims to enhance instant cross-border payments by integrating a modular foreign exchange (FX) component with settlement in wholesale central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The initiative, a collaboration between the BIS Innovation Hub … Read more

China and UAE Praise Potential Role of CBDCs in Cross-Border Trade

China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have acknowledged the crucial role of central bank digital currency (CBDC) in facilitating cross-border trade and investment. In a joint statement, the two countries expressed their commitment to deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation with respect to their CBDCs. China also expressed appreciation for the UAE’s recent direct cross-border … Read more

Bank of Israel Launches Digital Shekel Challenge

The Bank of Israel has announced the Digital Shekel Challenge, inviting various entities — private companies, public sector organizations, and academic institutions — to participate in the digital shekel’s experimental environment. The initiative aims to foster the development of innovative payment solutions using the digital shekel, leveraging its Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Participants are expected … Read more