Gazprombank, a subsidiary of the leading Russian government-owned gas company, Gazprom, publicly proposed giving banks more time before implementing the digital ruble. The country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project has been accelerating due to global financial sanctions amid geopolitical tensions. As reported by local media on Feb. 7, Gazprombank, one of the 15 banks participating in the CBDC pilot, issued a public statement with a suggestion to proceed with caution regarding traditional banks’ interests: “It is imperative that banks take measures to mitigate potential losses. Hence, it is crucial to recognize the potential risks associated with the transition to …

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) will heighten focus on experimenting with Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) this year via its research and development arm and will also launch a new project to monitor stablecoins. On Feb. 7, the Switzerland-based so-called “bank for central banks” announced its Innovation Hub will "increase its focus" on CBDCs in 2023 to improve payment systems. The bank added its work schedule for the year ahead also includes “Project Pyxtrial,” which it described as a new experiment being launched by the London branch of the BIS Innovation Hub to enable the “systemic monitoring of stablecoins.” …

The United Kingdom is a step closer to launching a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) after releasing a consultation paper explaining the proposed digital pound, which the public has nicknamed “Britcoin.” The 116-page consultation paper was jointly released on Feb. 7 by the Bank of England (BoE) and His Majesty’s Treasury. A technology working paper was also released delving into the technical and economic design considerations. Despite the rise of privately-issued stablecoins in recent years, the paper said CBDCs such as the digital pound can co-exist in what they expect to be a “mixed payments economy.” “In much the same …

Japanese financial software firm Soramitsu has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Bank of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Payment Systems Department on the launch of a proof-of-concept project for a Laotian central bank digital currency (CBDC). Under the agreement, a digital form of the Lao kip, called the DLak, would launch Feb. 7. According to an explanatory video, the central bank would provide DLak to commercial banks in exchange for fiat currency, and the user would exchange fiat for DLak from the commercial bank. The user would then make purchases from participating sellers using a …

The Bank of England (BoE) and U.K. Treasury are gearing up plans to create a digital currency that could "provide a new way to pay" without necessarily replacing cash. On Feb. 7, a joint consultation paper on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) is set to drop, with the BoE and Treasury seeking feedback on how, and if they should proceed with building a CBDC. In a Feb. 6 public statement, Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt indicated that the two entities would seek to develop a modernized digital payments system that doesn’t necessarily negate the use of cash. "While cash is here …

Millions of dollars worth of China’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) has been handed out across the country over the Lunar New Year period in a bid to boost its takeup. According to a Feb. 6 report in the Global Times, an English-language outlet of the state-ran People’s Daily newspaper, around 200 “activities” for the e-CNY were launched across the country during the holiday period. These "activities" were made to “promote consumption” — the first of such since the government recently relaxed COVID-19 restrictions. Multiple cities reportedly gave away over $26.5 million, or 180 million yuan worth of the CBDC …

The Bank of England (BoE) and Treasury believes the United Kingdom is likely to need to create a central bank digital currency (CBDC) by 2030, according to a Telegraph report on Feb. 4. The "digital pound" roadmap is set to be introduced next week, a government source told the newspaper. Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe is scheduled to give an update on the BoE's work on the CDBC on Feb. 7 "On the basis of our work to date, the Bank of England and HM Treasury judge that it is likely a digital pound will be needed in the future," noted …

The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) has launched a digital tenge pilot project, according to a report published jointly by the bank and Binance on Feb. 3. The report looked at global approaches to digital asset regulation, the digital asset industry and decentralized finance (DeFi) in Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States in particular. In his introduction to the report, NBK Deputy governor Berik Sholpankupov wrote about the bank’s vision of a “collaboration between Traditional Finance and DeFi” that could increase financial inclusion and support international trade. He added: “In Kazakhstan, we also started a practical R&D project …

Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade is reportedly aiming to roll out a national crypto exchange by June this year, six months after its previous target of December 2022. Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan shared the new target launch date on Feb. 2 at the opening of Crypto Literacy Month in Jakarta, noting that the government is currently reviewing which companies meet their criteria to become part of the exchange, according to local reports. There are five active crypto exchanges which are currently registered with the country's regulators, and according to Zulkifli the ministry’s crypto exchange could encompass all of them. While these …

According to local news outlet JS China, on Feb. 1, an annual meeting regarding the trial of the digital yuan central bank digital currency (e-CNY CBDC) was attended by senior Communist Party officials in the City of Suzhou. As part of the meeting outcomes, party officials have set a tentative key performance indicator (KPI) of 2 trillion CNY ($300 billion) for e-CNY CBDC transactions in the city by the end of 2023 to be implemented by municipal administrators through promotional efforts. Officials have also set a target of processing $30 billion in e-CNY loans for small and mid-sized businesses in …

One of India’s biggest retail chains, Reliance Retail, announced that they have started accepting the digital rupee at one of its store lines and plans to extend the rollout to all its businesses. In a report by Tech Crunch, the company said that CBDC support is already rolled out at Freshpik, its gourmet store line. In addition, the firm also noted that it will be expanding support for the digital rupee to all of its properties, a move that could potentially push adoption forward for the country’s CBDC. V Subramaniam, an executive at Reliance Retail, pointed out that the acceptance …

HSBC, the British multinational bank which manages the largest amount of assets in Europe, doubles down its interest in digital currencies. The bank is looking for a top executive to work with asset tokenization. On Jan. 30, HSBC opened the GPBW Product Director of Tokenisation position with a hiring process scheduled to end by Feb. 13. According to the job description, the "tokenization director would be responsible for “designing and implementing” a global tokenization proposition and representing the bank in front of regulators and digital assets ecosystem. The candidate should possess knowledge of digital assets, especially around asset tokenization and …