Programmable payments are often talked about in the context of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), but they are possible with any digital payment. The Federal Reserve of Atlanta has written a useful blog explaining them.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has published the results of its consultation on a possible CBDC. The consultation had the highest response rate of any RBNZ survey, with more than 500 individuals and groups writing in, as well as 18,000 online survey responses.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is half-way through its assessment work about whether to launch a CBDC. This has involved extensive consultation. It has published its second progress report on its preparation phase of a digital euro.

Bank Indonesia (BI) has published a paper on a technical proof of concept (PoC) for a wholesale CBDC (wCBDC). BI had compared R3’s Corda enterprise blockchain and Ethereum-based Hyperledger Besu, but the report did not make a definitive choice at this stage.

Russia’s Ministry of Industry wants a two year transition before mandatory adoption of a digital ruble. It is concerned that the necessary infrastructure is not ready. It is currently planned to become mandatory for large retailers by July 2025.

The Deputy Governor of Norges Bank, Pal Longva, has said that Norway has ‘no urgency’ around its digital currency initiatives. Norway has completed four stages of CBDC investigation. It is now concentrating on applications of wholesale CBDCs in a fifth phase of work to be completed by the end of 2025.

The Digital Currency Conference took place in London in September this year, starting with a workshop focused on the Digital Pound. This spent time trying to establish the use cases that make a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) a necessity so that it is actually used. This is a recurring topic currently as central banks work through whether to introduce a CBDC.

At the Digital Currency Conference, the Bank of Israel (BOI) laid out its CBDC approach starting with looking at the rapid growth of digital payments as a proportion of all payments across the world. Cash may be holding up in absolute numbers but relative to the total, it is falling fast.

At the recent CBDC Conference in Istanbul a number of key themes emerged. That the given focus of this event, as its name indicates, is predominantly on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), these themes were in sharper contrast to the subsequent Digital Currency Conference in London, which had a broader remit.

The Bank of Canada is stepping back from a implementation of a CBDC.