Ukraine - Digital Pound Foundation

Snapshot: Which countries have made the most progress on CBDCs so far in 2023

Source: Atlantic Council 2023 is already shaping up to be a major year in central bank digital currency (CBDC) exploration. As of March 1, sixty-five countries are in the advanced stage of development, and over twenty central banks have launched their pilots, including Brazil, Japan, and Russia. To dive deeper into these countries, follow our CBDC […]

Ukraine Speeds Up Digital Hryvnia Project, Plans Pilot for This Year

Source: Bitcoin.com Ukrainian authorities are speeding up the development of the electronic hryvnia, a high-ranking government official indicated. The executive power in Kyiv is now in talks with the central bank and businesses involved in the project to pilot the digital currency as early as this year. Minister Says Ukraine Aims to Launch Digital Hryvnia […]

The Geopolitics of CBDCs

Written by Jannah Patchay, Policy Lead for the Digital Pound Foundation Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) – a digital form of central bank-issued fiat currency – have seen explosive growth in interest over the past four years. At the start of 2023, 114 countries, representing 95% of global GDP, are currently exploring CBDC, of which 60 […]

UN pilots blockchain and USDC stablecoin for disbursements in Ukraine

Source: Global Government Fintech The United Nations (UN) agency that helps refugees is trialling blockchain technology and a well-known so-called ‘stablecoin’ pegged to the US dollar for digital cash distribution to internally displaced persons and other war-affected people in Ukraine. UNHCR is working with the US-headquartered Stellar Development Foundation on the pilot initiative, which is […]

Can Stablecoins Revolutionize Foreign Aid? The UN Thinks So.

Source: Blockworks If only stablecoins had been around in the late aughts. The likes of USDC and USDT would have provided a viable — and, potentially, game-changing — alternative for cash aid disbursements in Iraq and Afghanistan following the US’ invasion of both Middle Eastern countries, according to the chief investment officer of a crypto […]

National Bank of Ukraine releases draft concept for digital hryvnia

Source: Cointelegraph The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has introduced a draft concept for its central bank digital currency (CBDC) candidate digital hryvnia, or e-hryvnia. Ukraine’s central bank on Nov. 28 released a statement on the concept of e-hryvnia, which aims to perform all the functions of money by supplementing cash and non-cash forms of the hryvnia as its […]