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Central Bank Digital Currency

Technological advances and the rapid digitalisation of the economy are unlocking new possibilities for the future of money and payments, one of which is Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

Overview

As a central bank, MAS is tasked with ensuring sound money and efficient payments. We recognise that recent innovations have the potential to address some of the longstanding and emerging challenges in payments, including slow, opaque and expensive cross-border payments. Since 2016, MAS has been actively researching and experimenting with CBDCs in partnership with the industry, international organisations and other central banks, to better understand the opportunities and risks around them. 

Our explorations into new forms of money and new ways payments could work complements, our ongoing developmental and regulatory efforts to enhance electronic payments in Singapore. 

 

What are CBDCs?

CBDCs are a digital form of central bank money. There are two main variants of CBDCs:

·         Wholesale CBDCs, which are solely for use by a select group of financial institutions to settle large-value transactions among themselves and the central bank, just like reserves today.

·         Retail CBDCs, which are for use by the general public for payments. These are the digital counterpart to the notes and coins that central banks issue today.

 

Key Speeches

  1. "Decentralised Finance and the Future of Money" - Panel Remarks by Mr Ravi Menon, Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore, at the Andrew Crockett Memorial Lecture by Mark Carney via Video Conference on 28 June 2021
  2. “Innovation in Central Banking – Seizing Opportunities, Securing Our Future” - Remarks by Ms Jacqueline Loh, Deputy Managing Director (Corporate Development), Monetary Authority of Singapore, at BIS Innovation Summit on 25 March 2021 
  3. "E-Payments in Asia: Regulating Innovation and Innovative Regulation" - Keynote Address by Ms Jacqueline Loh, Deputy Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore, at the Central Bank Payments Conference on 26 June 2018

Development Initiatives

Project Ubin

A collaboration project between MAS and the financial industry on exploring the use of DLT for clearing and settlement of payments and  securities

Global CBDC Challenge

The Global CBDC Challenge organised by MAS, in partnership with IMF, World Bank, ADB, UNCDF, UNHCR, UNDP and OECD, seeks innovative retail CBDC solutions to enhance payment  efficiencies and promote financial inclusion

Multi-Currency Corridor Network

A wholesale cross-border payment and settlement experiment using Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Banque de France (BdF)

Project Dunbar

Launched with the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub, the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, Monetary Authority of Singapore and South African Reserve Bank to test the use of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for international settlements

Project Orchid

Building on the rich findings from Global CBDC Challenge 2021, Project Orchid aims to build the foundational digital infrastructure and blueprint required for a future digital currency ready-platform

Policy Research

Digital Currencies

Research by MAS and external economists on new forms of digital money.

What's New

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