National Bank of Georgia's Innovation Office: Importance and Need in Georgia’s Financial Sector

Regulators need to be open to innovation to balance the market, which is why the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) created the Financial Innovation Office (FIO). The FIO serves as a critical, yet often understated, protagonist at the heart of this technological…

Currency Research Global Payments Week 2024

A high-profile delegation of central bankers and innovators in the payments industry will be heading to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this June for the Currency Research Global Payments Week 2024. To find out more about the themes guiding the events — the Central…

In Conversation with Zeynel Abidin Avcı and Bilgehan Kürsad Öz of the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye

The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) is playing a catalytic role in the development of a “robust and innovative payment landscape,” most notably with the establishment in 2021 of an instant payment system and, more recently, its work on…

CBDC Needs a Plan B in Global Crises and Uncertainties

The focus of this article is to consider the relevance of a concern often raised in the context of the development of CBDC, namely the potential bank run scenario. This scenario is one of the justifications for the central bank preference to set limits…

VOX DEI: The Criticality of Consumers’ Voices in the Development of CBDC

The emerging consensus that consumer acceptance is a critical success factor in a CBDC deployment compels countries at all stages of CBDC development to align their designs closely with consumer needs and expectations. These insights can only be established…

In Conversation with Binur Zhalenov of the National Payments Corporation of Kazakhstan

Central Bank Payments News spoke to Binur Zhalenov, Chief Executive Officer of the National Payments Corporation of Kazakhstan, about the evolution and future of the Digital Tenge, its place within a broader digital revolution, and lessons Kazakhstan’s…

National Bank of Belgium: A Digital Euro for the Digital Era

The possible introduction of a digital euro, in the form of a central bank retail digital currency or CBDC, would be a major project for the euro area and the Eurosystem. It would significantly change the form in which central bank money is made available…

Implementation of the Digital Euro

The digital euro will enter a highly competitive, multifaceted, and heterogeneous payments landscape in the Eurozone. As with any other payment method, it needs to provide additional value for the variety of stakeholders to achieve the envisioned acceptance…

Driving Retail CBDC Adoption Through Lean Product Development

The Lean Product Development (LPD) literature offers strategies to guide user-centered design and drive adoption. Prominent LPD concepts are discussed here in the context of retail CBDC development.

In Conversation with Igor Velickovski, Manager, Payment Systems Department, National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia

Our tour of the Western Balkans continues this month as we catch up with the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia’s Igor Velickovski, who discusses the transformative role of a recently enacted law on payments, North Macedonia’s SEPA ambitions,…