The rollout of the world's second central bank digital currency, or CBDC, is off to a rocky start. Last week, Nigeria rolled out its eNaira CBDC after the Bahamas became the first country in the world to launch theirs, known as The Sand Dollar, the year prior. In a statement quoted by local news outlet The Nation, Central Bank of Nigeria, or CBN, Governor Godwin Emefiele said "overwhelming interest and encouraging response". Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari estimates that the eNaira could generate an additional $29 billion in economic activity over the next decade, citing the possibility of direct government welfare …

During an earnings call with investors and stakeholders, Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard, discussed his positive outlook on the cryptocurrency industry. The company had seen sizable volume growth in consumers using their Mastercards to purchase crypto and secured several partnerships with cryptocurrency firms. But Miebach's most ambitious viewpoint comes from a discussion regarding central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, saying: "We are saying at this point in time, the most likely chance for this kind of technology to work for payments is if it's issued through a government in the form of a CBDC. We said that on a couple …

El Salvador’s Bitcoin (BTC) adoption has triggered a digital asset revolution in Latin America, and the region could benefit even more if people can exchange cryptocurrencies, fiat money and the upcoming central bank digital currencies (CBDC) on the same infrastructure, said the head of multicurrency investment platform Uphold. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Uphold CEO JP Thieriot underscored that the nature of life in Latin America begs for Bitcoin-based use cases, listing the region as that which will benefit the most as crypt adoption continues to grow. Venezuela and Colombia are the two most prominent crypto adopters in the region besides El …

The central bank of France continues actively exploring a central bank digital currency (CBDC), completing a significant trial of a blockchain-based CBDC in the country’s debt market. Over 500 institutions in France have participated in a 10-month experiment testing a CBDC issued by Banque de France for government bond deals, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The CBDC trial was led by Belgium-based financial services firm Euroclear and used a system developed by American technology giant IBM. The CBDC test also involved the French public debt office alongside the central bank and a consortium of major financial companies operating in …

Ghana is working to develop offline capabilities for its forthcoming central bank digital currency (CBDC) in a bid to promote its use across all segments of Ghanaian society. According to a Monday report from Bloomberg, Kwame Oppong, head of fintech and innovation at the Bank of Ghana (BoG), revealed that the country’s digital currency “e-cedi” will support offline transactions during the Ghana Economic Forum on Monday. Oppong emphasized that offline functionality will allow Ghanaians who lack reliable access to electricity and internet connectivity to embrace the country’s CBDC, stating: “The e-cedi would also be capable of being used in an …

Between fever-pitch anticipation over the impending approval of a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s $42-million-plus settlement with Tether and Bitfinex, and Vladimir Putin brooding over cryptocurrency’s capacity to transfer value, this past week has been saturated with major policy news. While all the above are instances of state figures’ and institutions’ top-down actions and statements on digital assets, an arguably even more interesting tide has emerged on the side of the crypto industry itself. Two major players of the digital space, Coinbase and a16z (Andreessen Horowitz), came forward with proposed visions for regulating internet-native economic activity Below …

The rapid growth of mainstream attention toward cryptocurrencies has forced the hands of numerous governments to create their digital alternatives. Over the past few years, interest from various jurisdictions has been pointed towards central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) — digital versions of government-issued fiat. Given their capacity to use blockchain technology to facilitate a simplified fiscal policy — not to mention calibrate privacy features and even provide cross-border banking services to the unbanked — CBDCs continue to gain even more attention from various governments worldwide. Already, surveys show more than 80% of central banks are researching CBDCs, with some working …

While Japan’s CBDC plans are still in the research stage, Shinichi Uchida, an executive of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), has said simplicity will drive the central bank’s design thesis for the digital yen. According to Reuters, Uchida made this known during a speech delivered on Friday calling for modalities to be put in place to ensure the CBDC co-exists with existing private payment channels. For Uchida, vertical integration of the digital yen within the private sector payment matrix will require a simple CBDC design. Part of this simple design could involve creating a framework for people to use both …

The Digital Pound Foundation (DPF), a group of technology, innovation and regulatory experts, has announced its launch as an independent non-profit organization in the United Kingdom. According to a release issued on Thursday, the DPF will work to promote the implementation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the country. Indeed, as previously reported by Cointelegraph, the U.K. government established a CBDC task force to explore preliminary matters related to the creation of a national digital currency in April. The DPF, as part of its stated mandate, will carry out research and collaborate with stakeholders to support the U.K.’s …

The Group of Seven (G7) advanced economic nations discussed central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) this week and concluded that they should “do no harm” and meet rigorous standards. Finance leaders from the G7 met in Washington on Wednesday to discuss central bank digital currencies and endorsed 13 public policy principles regarding their implementation. The G7, which is comprised of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, mandated that any newly launched CBDCs should “do no harm” to the central bank’s ability to maintain financial stability. In a joint statement, G7 finance ministers and central bankers …

There is nothing surprising about Senator Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican known to be among the staunchest crypto supporters in the U.S. legislature, revealing a sizable Bitcoin (BTC) purchase that she had made earlier in the summer. It is still oddly satisfying to observe the alignment between a politician’s long-declared stance on an issue and corresponding monetary behavior (Lummis had been hodling BTC since 2013). Such consistency will be a norm in blockchain-based governance systems where individuals’ interests are aligned with those of the entire community and where all information that could be of remote public interest is transparent. Below …

Smart cities are steadily garnering attention worldwide as they become points of aspiration for many jurisdictions. There is a very clear relationship in these urban utopias between the citizens for whom they are built and the systems, networks and devices that enable their safe, secure and efficient operation. Most importantly, they will be built on entirely new financial technology infrastructure that supports the flow of micropayments over financial “plumbing,” in a similar way that other essential utilities (water, energy, data, etc.) flow over pipes, cables and fiber. The principal aim of a smart city is to optimize city functions and …