Belarus takes significant steps in its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) plan to launch a digital version of the Belarusian ruble, focusing primarily on cross-border payment facilitation.
According to Odaily Planet Daily News, Belarus is currently working on its CBDC plan, with goals and intentions similar to Russia's CBDC development plans. The country aims to introduce a digital version of the Belarusian ruble specifically for cross-border payments, as reported by local media outlets.
The National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB) has labeled the CBDC project as one of the most important in recent years. Dmitry Kalechits, vice-chairman of the NRBR board of directors, stated, "One of our most important mega-projects will be the introduction of the digital Belarusian ruble and its use at the cross-border level."
Kalechits further explained that the bank already has a definition for a CBDC, which it sees as "a legal tender that performs all the functions of money." These comments follow earlier statements made by the bank's president, Pavel Kallaur, mentioning NBRB's plans to establish a CBDC "experiment" with a small group of participants.
