Central Bank of Brazil Reveals New Use Cases to Be Tested in Its Drex CBDC Second Pilot Phase

The Central Bank of Brazil disclosed a new set of use cases that will be part of the second phase of the ongoing pilot of its drex CBDC. Among the 13 instances selected from the 46 presented are platforms for tokenizing real estate, liquidity pools for trading public securities, and even automating automobile transactions. Central … Read more

Brazilian CBDC Pilot Postponed to 2025 Due to Inefficiency of Privacy Solutions

The Central Bank of Brazil announced the postponement of the completion of the drex pilot, the Brazilian CBDC, due to the inefficiency of the privacy solutions presented for the project so far. The pilot will have a new phase, finalized in 2025, and will also feature the implementation of smart contracts to nurture use cases … Read more

Iran’s Crypto Rial Project Enters Trial Phase

The pre-trial stage of the project to introduce a digital Iranian rial has been completed successfully, the country’s central bank announced. The authorities in Tehran plan to expand the use of the state-backed currency and integrate it into Iran’s payment system. Iranian Government Prepares to Trial Its Digital Currency The project to issue a digital … Read more

Bank of Japan to Launch Digital Yen CBDC Pilot Later This Year

The Bank of Japan is preparing to launch a pilot test for a digital yen, its central bank digital currency (CBDC), later this year. Shinichi Uchida, executive director of the Bank of Japan, explained that the goals of this new pilot are to test the technical feasibility of the currency and to include private businesses … Read more

Bank of Russia to Start Testing Digital Ruble With Real Users on April 1

The Central Bank of Russia plans to launch test operations with digital ruble transactions between real customers at the beginning of April. More than a dozen banks will join the upcoming stage of the pilot project, a high-ranking representative of the bank announced to Russian media. Russia’s Monetary Authority to Trial Actual Settlements With Digital … Read more

Ukraine Speeds Up Digital Hryvnia Project, Plans Pilot for This Year

Ukrainian authorities are speeding up the development of the electronic hryvnia, a high-ranking government official indicated. The executive power in Kyiv is now in talks with the central bank and businesses involved in the project to pilot the digital currency as early as this year. Minister Says Ukraine Aims to Launch Digital Hryvnia Sooner Than … Read more

Banks in Russia to Lose $700 Million a Year Due to Digital Ruble, Experts Say

Russian banks may be the main losers from the introduction of a digital ruble while retailers will save on acquiring fees, analysts have predicted. The benefits for consumers using the new digital currency are not that obvious as they may not be paid any interest or cashback. Launch of Russia’s Digital Ruble Said to Result … Read more