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





US Department of Agriculture to trial NFC and QR mobile payments for contactless state benefits

US Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards for state benefit transactions

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to run a series of pilot schemes to test the use of mobile payments technology to enable citizens entitled to financial support under its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to receive benefits and make NFC or QR code payments for eligible purchases on their mobile device... More





Germany to launch digital ID cards in autumn 2021

German digital ID card

German citizens will be able to securely store a digital version of their government-issued ID card on their smartphone from the autumn of 2021, the German government’s Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community has announced... More



Chinese government teams up with WeChat to offer digital social security cards

China’s social security system turns to WeChat for electronic ID — South China Morning Post — “Government trials in 26 cities will have Tencent’s WeChat replace traditional state-issued social security cards with digital version tied to users’ accounts… The WeChat-based electronic social security cards will enable users to provide their identification, status, payment records and other relevant information to official online inquiries about benefits and insurance coverage.”