CBDC Conferences Gather Momentum

Following the Digital Monetary Institute’s (DMI) CBDC conference in April this year and the announcement of ‘The CBDC Conference’ 3-6 October 2021, there is now a rush to hold CBDC dedicated events.

The latest to be announced is ‘The Arab CBDC Conference: Spearheading Digital Innovation and Cross-Border Payments’ on 7 October, organised by the Arab Monetary Fund in conjunction with the DMI.

Cash Essentials is currently planning a two day online CBDC conference for October this year with full details to follow shortly.

Currency Research is to hold a day dedicated to Digital Currency Technology and Design on 25 February in Washington DC (and online), the day after next year’s combined Banknote and Currency Conference.

As for the CBDC Conference, with six weeks to go, some 40 central banks have registered to attend and to listen to the 50 speakers who are confirmed in the programme. It is interesting that many of the central banks are sending issue department members as well as CBDC project staff to join the event.

In August and September there will be four webinars presented by the conference’s ‘CBDC Academy’ to share with people background information about CBDCs so they can get the most from the event. The CBDC Academy sessions are free of charge and open to all.

The interest in and activity around CBDCs has, if anything, intensified this year and the CBDC Conference looks like being a useful and important opportunity to learn and to share what is happening with CBDCs, policy design, operational realities, technical implementation and legal necessities.

The stream of papers, speeches webinars and now conferences has become a torrent as attention follows the huge effort being expended on CBDCs.