Nigerian Central Bank, Real-World Asset Firm Partner to Revive Struggling CBDC

Gluwa, a platform for real-world assets, announced on March 7 its partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria. The partnership arrangement aims to improve the functionality of the Nigerian central bank’s digital currency and promote financial innovation through blockchain technology. Improving the CBDC’s Utility Gluwa, a real-world assets platform, has entered into a partnership arrangement … Read more

‘Over-Collateralization Can Help Mitigate the Risk of Stablecoin Depegging’ — Pendulum CTO

Despite being touted as a game-changing innovation, the decentralized finance (defi) ecosystem is still not connected to fiat rails largely because of regulatory and compliance issues, Torsten Stuber, the CTO at Pendulum says. According to Stuber, the defi ecosystem will succeed in getting more traditional financial institutions on board once “a substantial amount of liquidity … Read more

Report: UAE Central Bank Implements Digital Currency Strategy

The central bank in the United Arab Emirates said it has started implementing its digital currency strategy with partners G42 Cloud and R3. According to the central bank, the digital currency initiative is expected to “further position and solidify the UAE as a leading global financial hub.” CBDC Strategy to Focus on Three Pillars The … Read more

US Treasury and White House to Hold Regular Meetings on CBDCs and Payment Innovations

On March 1, 2023, Nellie Liang, undersecretary for domestic finance at the U.S. Treasury, delivered a speech to the Atlantic Council in Washington concerning the subject of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Liang detailed during her speech that a CBDC is one of several options for “upgrading the legacy capabilities of central bank money,” and … Read more

Zambia Testing Technology to Regulate Cryptocurrency — Government Minister

The Bank of Zambia and the country’s securities regulators are currently testing the technology to regulate cryptocurrencies, a Zambian government minister has said. According to Felix Mutati, cryptocurrency is a revolutionary technology that embodies a future his country desires to achieve. Achieving an Inclusive Digital Economy The Zambian central bank and the country’s Securities and … Read more

Ghanaian and Nigerian Central Bank Open Respective Regulatory Sandbox Application Processes

The Ghanaian and Nigerian central banks have invited financial innovators that wish to be included in their respective regulatory sandboxes to submit applications. The Bank of Ghana said its sandbox will also support innovations that attempt to solve the financial exclusion challenge. Solving the Financial Exclusion Challenge The Ghanaian central bank has called on registered … Read more

Nigerian Banks Still Distributing Old Naira Banknotes as Demonetization Date Approaches

With just a few days left before old Nigerian naira banknotes are removed from circulation, some banks have accused the Central Bank of Nigeria of failing to distribute enough new banknotes. Despite growing pressure for it to extend the period for returning the old notes, the central bank insists the Jan. 31 deadline still stands. … Read more

New Naira Banknotes to Make Monetary Policy More Effective — Nigerian Central Bank Governor

The Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, has said the newly designed naira banknotes are set to enhance the effectiveness of the organization’s monetary policy and bolster the financial inclusion cause. Forcing Currency Hoarders to Return to the Banking System According to the Nigerian central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, the recently launched naira banknotes … Read more

Nigeria’s Rising Inflation and Foreign Exchange Shortages Fueling Devaluation Speculation — IMF Mission

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s mission concluding statement, Nigeria’s rising inflation rate as well as the continuing shortage of foreign currency are fueling the naira devaluation speculations. To achieve a unified naira exchange rate, the global lender said Nigeria needs to dismantle “the various exchange rate windows at the CBN [Central Bank of … Read more