Hyun Song Shin, a 12-year veteran of the Bank for International Settlements who helped shape central bank thinking on CBDCs, was nominated on March 22 by President Lee Jae-myung to lead the Bank of Korea. His appointment could speed South Korea's digital currency efforts and deepen coordination with global regulators.
The European Central Bank has set a mid-2026 deadline to finalise EU-wide standards for the digital euro, giving financial service providers time to adapt systems ahead of any issuance decision.
The Bank of Korea and nine commercial banks have started live trials of deposit tokens, testing subsidy disbursements and peer-to-peer transfers. The pilot aims to evaluate operational performance and integration with existing payment rails.
UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel said a digital euro could erode banks' liquidity and profit margins by diverting retail deposits, while describing the initiative as "relatively constructive."
The U.S. Senate voted to ban a central bank digital currency until 2030, pausing federal digital dollar efforts. The SEC has proposed a narrow innovation exemption aimed at tokenized securities.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve a bipartisan housing bill that includes a ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The measure still faces an uncertain path in the House and potential resistance at the White House.
A proposal filed at the 2026 National People’s Congress would amend the 2003 People’s Bank of China Law to explicitly recognize the digital yuan as legal tender, with regulators citing outdated rules.
Mastercard is expanding its collaboration with Ripple to advance development and practical use of central bank digital currencies (digital dollars). The effort aims to make CBDC integration easier for banks and payment providers by pairing Mastercard's payments network with Ripple's ledger technology.
House GOP lawmakers are seeking a permanent ban on CBDC development and have warned they will withhold a housing bill unless anti‑CBDC language is adopted. They argue a central bank digital currency would be an overreach of government power.
A clause in a U.S. housing bill would bar the Federal Reserve from offering a consumer-facing digital dollar until 2030, delaying any retail CBDC rollout. The measure represents a legislative rebuke to CBDC proponents and could reshape the policy timetable.