Informed sources: Belarus advances CBDC plans to facilitate cross-border payments

Odaily Planet Daily News Recently, Belarus is advancing the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) plan. According to people familiar with the matter, the main focus and intentions behind Belarus’s CBDC appear to be identical to Russia’s CBDC development plans. Belarus plans to launch a digital version of the Belarusian ruble for "cross-border" payments, according to local media reports. The National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB) has designated the launch of a CBDC as one of the most “important” projects in recent years. “One of our most important mega-projects will be the introduction of the digital Belarusian ruble and its use at the cross-border level,” said Dmitry Kalechits, deputy chairman of the NRBR board of directors. Furthermore, Kalechits explained that the bank already has a “definition” of a CBDC, which it considers “a legal tender that performs all the functions of money.” Kalechits’ comments came months after the bank’s president, Pavel Kallaur, spoke of NRBR’s plans to establish a CBDC “experiment” with “a small group of participants,” according to people familiar with the matter. (Todayq)