Bank of Albania: In Conversation with Ledia Bregu, Part One

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…

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…

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…

Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo: In Conversation with Dardan Fusha, Director of the Department for Payment Systems

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…

CCAF: Third Anniversary of the Cambridge FinTech and Regulatory Innovation Programme

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has successfully delivered its online capacity building and education programme to more than 1,400 regulators and central bankers from 340+ institutions in over 145 countries via its Cambridge FinTech…

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…

BENEFIT Company: In Conversation with Shafaq Alkooheji, Head of Payments Services

ProgressSoft speaks with Shafaq Alkooheji, Head of Payments Services at the BENEFIT Company, about the development, launch, and adoption of e-cheques in Bahrain, part of the Central Bank of Bahrain’s broader digital transformation strategy.

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…

Bank Al-Maghrib: Steering the Evolution of Payments in Morocco

As part of the implementation of its 2019–2023 strategic plan, whose motto is “To be an efficient, innovative Central Bank and a force for change at the service of the country,” Bank Al-Maghrib strengthened in 2020 its positioning as a catalyst for innovation…

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…