Turkish central bank completes first CBDC trials for digital lira

Turkey

Turkey’s central bank has completed the first of its trials for the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Digital Turkish Lira.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) announced on 29 December that it had successfully completed the “first payment transactions” to use the digital lira.

Limited, closed-circuit pilot tests with key stakeholders will continue into the first quarter of 2023, after which the pilot is expected to integrate...

Reserve Bank of India goes in-depth on its CBDC plans

India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a 51-page report outlining the proposed features of its in-development central bank digital currency (CBDC).

The report details the pros and cons of a digital rupee for India whilst also trying to raise awareness for the reasoning and objectives behind CBDC development.

Key motivations for issuing a CBDC, according to the report, include the promotion of trust, safety, liquidity, and settlement finality.

Reducing the...

Ripple: Most financial institutions plan to use crypto within three years

A report by Ripple suggests that most financial institutions plan to start using crypto within the next three years.

Despite the bear market, financial institutions remain interested in the cryptocurrency space. Just this week, $10 trillion asset manager BlackRock launched a spot Bitcoin trust while saying that it’s also exploring “permissioned blockchains, stablecoins, cryptoassets, and tokenization.”

While BlackRock is exploring the potential financial benefits...

Nigeria to launch CBDC pilot in October

Nigerian Flag

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) plans to begin its central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot on October 1, according to Nigerian financial news publication Nairametrics.

According to Nairametrics private sources, Rakiya Mohammed, the bank’s director of information technology, called a webinar last Thursday to confirm the pilot’s start date and emphasise that the CBN could not afford to be left behind in global CBDC development.

The pilot scheme, known as...