The Australian Central Bank is focusing on a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) due to its potential economic benefits compared to a retail CBDC. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has launched Project Acacia, a three-year plan to explore wholesale CBDC opportunities. While the RBA and Treasury could still consider a retail CBDC, a […]
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) plans to introduce its wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) by 2029. The Philippine central bank’s CBDC initiative is near its proof-of-concept completion. “This is an innovative payment instrument,” said the BSP deputy governor. “This is an entirely new thing, and we have to make sure that we can offer […]
In a move to improve traditional cross-border payments, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has announced the launch of Project Rialto. This project aims to enhance instant cross-border payments by integrating a modular foreign exchange (FX) component with settlement in wholesale central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The initiative, a collaboration between the BIS Innovation Hub […]
The Central Bank of the Philippines revealed that it aims to conclude the ongoing wholesale CBDC pilot, Project Agila, later this year. The pilot, which currently includes the participation of six local financial institutions, might be the gate for democratizing access to securities according to Deputy Governor for Payments and Currency Management Sector Mamerto Tangonan. […]
The government of Hong Kong has announced Project Ensemble, an initiative that will test the functionality of a wholesale central bank digital currency (WCBDC) and the movement of tokenized deposits. If there is “sufficient interest” in the project, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) will conduct a live issuance of the WCBDC in the future. […]