I’m closely following this global movement of cbdc with a lot of attention. It’s no longer a lab thing, you know? It’s already become reality in several countries, and a lot of people are rushing so they don’t fall behind in this revolution.

Basically, cbdc is the digital currency issued by each country’s central bank. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, which are decentralized, cbdc keeps everything under State control. It’s like they take traditional money and turn it into a digital version, but with the central bank managing everything. It’s not like stablecoin, which a private entity issues—here, the issuer and controller is the government itself.

There are already countries with real implementation. The Bahamas was the pioneer with the Sand Dollar there in 2020, solving payment problems on remote islands. Nigeria then launched the eNaira in 2021, the first in Africa. Jamaica has the JAM-DEX, and the Eastern Caribbean Monetary Union created DCash to work across multiple islands.

But the most interesting case for me is China. Their e-CNY project is considered the largest cbdc program in the world. It’s already being tested in several cities, integrated into popular payment apps, and being used for shopping and public transportation. India has a pilot project for the Rupee digital. Brazil is developing Drex connected to the fintech ecosystem with smart contracts. Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and many emerging economies are accelerating their tests.

Developed countries are also in the same mood. The European Union, Sweden, South Korea, Saudi Arabia—everyone is in the testing phase and adjusting the regulatory framework. Statistics show that more than 130 countries and territories are investigating or developing cbdc right now. This represents a huge share of global GDP.

The benefits are clear: faster payments, low costs, and no time restriction. For monetary policy, it becomes easier—the Banco Central monitors the flow of money in real time, increases transparency, and limits money laundering. The government can implement direct support policies for people and businesses more precisely.

But there are risks too, right? Privacy is a serious issue—every transaction can be monitored if there isn’t adequate data protection. Cyberattacks are a real risk. There’s also the impact on commercial banks—if everyone transfers deposits to a cbdc wallet managed by the Banco Central, traditional banks could face a reduction in capital and affect credit.

The right design of the system is crucial. In the end, cbdc isn’t just a technological trend—it’s a strategic shift in the global monetary system. With criptomoedas and stablecoin becoming increasingly more popular, countries need to keep their role in financial regulation while taking advantage of digital technology. Probably in the future, we’ll see cbdc coexisting with criptomoedas and other digital assets, creating a much more complex, layered financial ecosystem.