China offers financial incentives for companies moving into Shenzhen’s digital yuan zone

Digital yuan symbol

Industrial enterprises, fintechs, commercial banks, start-ups and other businesses relocating to China’s newly opened digital yuan industrial park in the city of Shenzhen will receive incentives including settlement payments of between 500,000 and 50m yuan (US$6.8m), free rent for up to three years and loans with favourable interest rates... More


Brazil’s central bank lays out reasons for developing CBDC

Banco Central Do Brasil logo for the Drex central bank digital currency

The central bank digital currency (CBDC) that Brazil’s central bank is to pilot for retail payments in stores is to be called Drex and will be “a step forward in democratizing access for individuals and entrepreneurs to the benefits of the digitalization of the economy”, the Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) has announced... More













Utah to pilot blockchain digital IDs

Utah Division of Technology Services logo

The US state of Utah is to launch a pilot programme that will test the use of blockchain technology for the issuance of digital identity cards and other digital credentials that can be stored and used on a holder’s smartphone or other mobile device... More


Japan to host first entirely cashless World Expo in 2025

Logo for Japan cashless World Expo 2025 in Osaka

The World Expo 2025 in the Japanese city of Osaka will be the first world’s fair to be entirely cashless and is developing a dedicated blockchain-enabled Expo Digital Wallet that visitors will be able to use to make contactless payments with their smartphone both inside and outside the venue as well as after the event... More


European Banking Federation lays out principles for a retail digital euro

European Banking Federation chart showing objectives for a retail digital euro

The proposed retail digital euro should be appropriately designed in collaboration with the private sector, create value for end-users, preserve financial stability and incentivise and enable private sector intermediaries to add solutions and services within the central bank digital currency (CBDC) ecosystem, according to a European Banking Federation (EBF) vision paper... More


Mahajati picks Ixkio to authenticate artworks with NFC

EXHIBITOR NEWS: Singapore-based Islamic wood-carving specialist Mahajati has selected ixkio’s NFC tag management platform to enable purchasers of its unique artworks to verify the authenticity of the product and provide proof of ownership by scanning an NFC authentication tag with their smartphone... More



Laos central bank launches CBDC pilot

The central bank of Laos has begun testing a proof of concept central bank digital currency (CBDC) known as the DLak or digital Lao kip as part of its research into the potential issuance of a CBDC in the country... More


Bank of England to trial proof of concept CBDC wallet

Bank of England bank notes

The Bank of England has issued a tender inviting suppliers to design and produce a proof of concept central bank digital currency (CBDC) wallet, sample user and merchant websites and a back-end server that can be implemented as a prototype for future user testing of a digital pound in the UK... More