KIGALI, Feb. 27 –TheNationalBankofRwandahasannouncedthatitwilllauncha12-monthcentralbankdigital currency (CBDC)pilotprogram.InastatementissuedonThursday,thecentralbanksaidtheprogram,involvingalimitedanddiversegroupofusersacrossthecapitalKigali,asecondarycityandselectedrurallocations,willprioritizefinancialinclusionbytestingsimplechannelssuchasUSSDandlow-costdevices.Thecentralbankwillexpandreal-lifeusecaseswithmerchantsandotherstakeholdersinacontrolledenvironment,whiledeepeningcollaborationwithdomesticandinternationalpartners,includingworkoninteroperabilityandpotentialcross-borderusecases,accordingtothestatement.Thebanksaidtheprogrambuildsonthesuccessfulcompletionofafive-month proof of concept (PoC)forapotential CBD Cconducted between May and Oct.2025,animportantmilestoneinRwanda’sjourneytowardamoredigital,resilientandinclusivefinancialsystem.Accordingtothecentralbank,completionofthePoCconfirmedthataRwanda-specificCBDCcouldsupportsecure,instantpayments,fosterinnovationinthefinancialsectorandcontributetothecountry’sbroadercashlessanddigitaleconomyobjectives.Itnotedthatthepilotprogramwillbeconductedwithstrongsafeguards,includingprivacy-by-design,cybersecurity,andclosecoordinationwithfinancialinstitutionsandrelevantauthorities.
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