Qatar Central Bank Announces Launch of Digital Currency Project

Qatar Central Bank

Qatar Central Bank (QCB) announced on Sunday the completion of the development of the infrastructure for the Central Bank Digital Currency Project (CBDC). This initiative will serve as a proactive step to keep pace with the rapid global developments in this field.

Qatar Central Bank confirms that, after successfully completing the comprehensive study conducted in this field, it will proceed with testing and developing selected applications for the CBDC to settle large payments with a group of local and international banks in a trial environment designed according to the latest advanced technologies.

The project will focus on the applications of the CBDC to increase access to capital markets for operating banks in the country, enhance domestic settlement, and improve the efficiency of securities transactions.

This project, which will enter its first experimental phase extending to October 2024, aims to achieve a set of primary objectives, including leveraging artificial intelligence technologies, distributed ledger technology (DLT), and emerging technologies and establish a strong foundation to enhance liquidity by expanding participation in financial market facilities, considering the aspects related to information security during project implementation.

In line with the Third Financial Sector Strategy, the Fintech Strategy, and Qatar National Vision 2030, and based on Qatar Central Bank's ongoing efforts to regulate and develop the financial sector in the country, Qatar Central Bank announced the completion of the development of the infrastructure for the Central Bank Digital Currency Project (CBDC), QCB said in a press release.

Qatar Central Bank is keen to keep pace with the digital transformations witnessed by the financial and banking sector both regionally and globally, confirming the necessity of investing in modern technologies, which aims to build a pioneering system that adopts emerging technologies to accelerate the pace of digital transformation in line with the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.
This project reflects Qatar Central Bank's full commitment to contributing to digital transformation within the financial sector, noting in this context that the start of the CBDC project represents an important milestone and a strategic step towards building a digital economy in the country.

Qatar Central Bank reaffirms its continuous commitment to introducing distinguished and valuable initiatives that will help create a conducive environment for the growth of the financial sector, stimulate the widespread adoption of emerging technologies, and promote technological innovations across various fields.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the results of this experiment will be the cornerstone towards identifying the different use cases that the Qatar Central Bank will adopt in the future, which will contribute to enhancing the efficiency of the current systems and instant settlement.

(QNA)