Through close collaboration with academic researchers, national and international policy-making bodies, and industry practitioners, the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance provides the expertise necessary to fulfil its mission. Its ongoing evolution…

The pace of evolution in instant payments, also known as real-time or fast payments, has been phenomenal, especially in emerging economies, and has acted as a catalyst to kickstart economic activities. Regulators and governments worldwide are striving…

On May 23, 2022, the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) implemented the first phase of the Paraguayan Instant Payment System (SPI). This first phase consisted of implementing electronic fund transfers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24x7). For end customers,…

It will likely be private sector innovation that provides the key to unlocking faster, safer, more efficient, and less expensive cross-border payments. The private sector is well placed to advise on and illustrate the practicalities of how to improve…

South Africa is currently transitioning its regulatory landscape to support increased access to the National Payment System (NPS) and to adopt activity-based licensing and regulation for payment service providers. The Payments Association of South Africa…

The Central Bank Payments News team recently sat down with Ian Woolford, Director of Money and Cash at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand — Te Pūtea Matua, for an in-depth discussion on the reserve bank’s Future of Money work program.

The Feature article in the August 2020 issue of Central Bank Payments News (CBPN) was authored by the Bank of Albania’s Ledia Bregu. At the time, Albania was less than half-way through its National Retail Payments Strategy, 2018–2023, an ambitious document…

The National Bank of Kazakhstan is building payment and digital financial infrastructure in the interests of everyone. These projects are aimed to stimulate competition, increase security and convenience, and, importantly, reduce the cost of financial…

This article describes the elements of the FinTech roadmap that the Superintendencies, the National Council for Supervision of the Financial System (CONASSIF), and the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR), have been implementing for the design of a regulatory…

The Central Bank Payments News team recently caught up with Dardan Fusha, Director of the Department for Payment Systems at CBK, who filled us in on the implementation of CBK’s National Retail Payments Strategy, plans to enhance legislation and regulation…