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

Philippines to Develop Blockchainless Wholesale CBDC in Two Years

The Central Bank of the Philippines will develop a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the next two years, according to Governor Eli Remolona Jr. The still unnamed CBDC will focus on the wholesale market and won’t use blockchain tech, instead relying on the Philippine Payment and Settlement System, owned and operated by the central … Read more

Bank of Spain to Launch Experimental Wholesale CBDC Digital Token Program

The Bank of Spain is seeking the collaboration of organizations interested in participating in an experimental test on a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC). The institution clarified this new program has no relation with the current investigation on a possible digital euro, and has the objective of examining the real possibilities and advantages of … Read more

Hong Kong Presents Digital Currency Prototype, Project Aurum

Financial authorities in Hong Kong have unveiled a prototype of the Chinese autonomous territory’s own central bank digital currency called Project Aurum. The two-tier platform features a wholesale interbank and a retail e-wallet system, participants revealed. Hong Kong to Issue Retail Tokens and Stablecoins as Part of Project Aurum A collaboration between the BIS Innovation … Read more

Swiss National Bank Trials CBDC in Transactions With Five Banks

The Swiss National Bank has successfully employed a wholesale CBDC to settle transactions with five commercial banks, the monetary authority announced. The tests are part of an experiment carried out together with the Bank for International Settlements and Switzerland’s financial services provider SIX. Swiss Central Bank Tests Integration of Wholesale CBDC Settlement With Private Banks … Read more

Swiss, French Central Banks to Trial Wholesale CBDC Settlements With BIS and Private Sector

The central banks of Switzerland and France are joining hands with the Bank for International Settlements to test wholesale central bank digital currencies in cross-border transactions. The experiment will be conducted with the help of a private sector consortium led by Accenture. European Central Banks to Collaborate on CBDC Project The Swiss National Bank (SNB), … Read more

In the Daily: BCH Charity Anniversary, Lighting Wholesaler Takes Crypto, Atomicpay Vanity URLs

In this edition of The Daily we feature the first yearly anniversary of Bitcoin Cash (BCH) charity Eatbch, a move by American lighting wholesaler H&M Distributors to accept cryptocurrency payments, and an update about vanity URLs from Atomicpay. Also Read: In the Daily: Regulatory Developments in Italy, Mauritius, Malta Eatbch Charity Marks First Anniversary The … Read more

Chinese Merchants in Moscow Convert Most of Their Cash to Crypto

Chinese traders in Moscow’s huge wholesale bazaars have become the most active buyers and sellers of cryptocurrency in the Russian capital. The retail turnover there is estimated at almost $10 billion a month. Authorities say that most of it is converted to cryptocurrencies and sent back to China where it‘s exchanged to yuan.    Also … Read more