Central banks’ digital bid to shape global trade
A shipment can be tracked from a factory floor to a warehouse with a few clicks on a phone. The money that pays for it often cannot.
Cross-border transfers still ricochet through correspondent banks, pick up fees along the way, and arrive days later. This mismatch - 21st-century logistics paired with 20th-century money - is one reason central banks are now pushing an idea that once sounded like science fiction: central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs.
According to the Atlantic Council’s CBDC Tracker, more than 130 countries, representing about 98% of global GDP, are exploring digital versions of sovereign cash.
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Najmul Haque Kawsar