Payments in Kenya: Past, Present, and Future

In this series of articles, the Central Bank of Kenya explores recent developments in payments in Kenya, in line with the Bank’s vision of being A World Class Modern Central Bank. The country's payments ecosystem has undergone major developments and shifts…

Kazakhstan: Future of Payment and Digital Financial Infrastructure

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…

Instant Payments: Cornerstone of a Future Digital Payments Ecosystem

A conversation about instant payments with Deniss Filipovs, Strategic Business Development, and Edgars Bremze, Lead Strategic Product Manager, at Tietoevry

Centro de Innovación Financiera: Creating the Regulatory Framework for Fintech in Costa Rica - The Leading Role of the Regulator in a Small Economy

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…

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…