Central banks’ involvement in central bank digital currency (CBDC) work remained strong in 2024. Of the 93 central banks surveyed, 91% (85) were exploring either a retail CBDC, a wholesale CBDC or both. At an aggregate level, the exploration of wholesale CBDCs is at more advanced stages than exploration of retail CBDCs. The focus and stage of the work and envisioned use cases and design features of CBDCs vary across jurisdictions. Yet, preserving the role of central bank money amid the decline of cash and the rise of tokenisation of traditional assets is a key driver for many central banks. More than one in three jurisdictions had also accelerated work on CBDCs in light of developments in stablecoins and other cryptoassets.
JEL classification: E42, E58, O33
Keywords: Central bank digital currencies, CBDC, digital innovation, cryptoassets, stablecoins, cross-border payments, tokenisation, tokenised bonds, interoperability, financial stability, regulation