ProgressSoft: Offline Use in Central Bank Digital Currencies - Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Offline use may be a critical differentiating factor in the value proposition of a CBDC for end users, compared with its commercial bank card and electronic counterparts. Because consumers understandably do not appreciate the difference between commercial…

Banco Central del Ecuador: Determining Electronic Payments Preferences in Ecuador

The results of the 2021 Banco Central del Ecuador study, Preferences in the Use of Electronic Payments in Ecuador, used the estimation of a logistic model that identified the main characteristics that influence the use of means of payment by the Ecuadorian…

Bank of Ghana: Enabling MSME Growth Through FinTechs

The Bank of Ghana is committed to finding new and innovative ways through policy direction and projects, to promote the growth of MSMEs more than ever before. The Bank continues to support the industry as well as the FinTech ecosystem to bring more benefits…

Afghanistan Digital Payments and the Rise of AfPay

The Afghanistan Payments System (APS) was spearheading the modernization of retail banking in the country—and was poised to ride that momentum well into the future—when the Afghan government collapsed in August 2021. Ahmad Shakir Wali, Managing Director…

AMF: A Practical Guide on CBDC for Arab Central Banks

The main drivers that motivate Arab central banks and monetary authorities to engage in a CBDC project reflect initially the importance of promoting a cashless economy and fostering financial inclusion. The first four drivers are: (i) to move to a cashless…

Central Bank of Eswatini National Payment Systems Vision and Strategy 2025

The Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) has been proactive in creating an enabling environment for innovation in digital financial services in response to consumer demands and changing market needs. This is evident with the release of the Practice Note for…

Special Feature: Industry Perspectives on Charting the Course for Transformative Payments

How the industry is charting the course for transformative payments in 2022 and beyond with Discover® Global Network, EMTECH, FIS, ProgressSoft, RTGS.global, StoneX, Tietoevry, and Visa.

National Bank of Ethiopia: Innovative and Inclusive Payments

In July 2021, the National Bank of Ethiopia launched its first ever National Digital Payments Strategy, an ambitious initiative that aims to build an innovative payments ecosystem in support of a cash-lite and inclusive economy. Central Bank Payments…

BankservAfrica: Africa’s New Cross-border Payments Scheme is Open for Business

Creating a cross-border payments ecosystem that delivers collaborative value between authorised financial institutions across the Southern African Development Community is possible through a new, world-first African payments scheme that is fully operational.…

Improving Cross-Border Payments

A conversation between Samia Ferradj, Head of Sales Europe, FX Payments at StoneX and Jean-Michel Godeffroy, Former Director General of Payment Systems & Market Infrastructure at the European Central Bank and Chairman of the Central Bank Payments Conference