DFC

The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic (NBKR) launched an ideation aimed at improving the prototype of its digital som central bank digital currency (CBDC). The goal is to ensure technological improvement of existing payment solutions and innovations, and at the testing stage to take into account the interests of citizens, business, government and the financial sector. Key areas of interest include system integration, security, user experience, and international interoperability.

G+D's Lars Hupel writes that eSIMs replace traditional, removable SIM cards with an embedded SIM chip directly on the device. SIM cards no longer need to be physically replaced for an update. Instead, a new eSIM can be simply downloaded. Starting with the iPhone 14 in 2022, Apple has stopped shipping physical SIM trays in the US. New models use eSIM only. By 2030, the eSIM adoption rate will reach 80% in Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Eurozone, while Middle East and North Africa is expected to reach 70%. Secure central bank digital currency (CBDC) wallets could be run easily on eSIMs. https://www.gi-de.com/en/spotlight/digital-security/time-to-adopt-the-esim

Stablecoins and the New Payments Landscape Coinbase believes stablecoins represent the next major leap forward for payments and capital movement, particularly as it’s becoming easier for merchants and other entities to integrate this technology into their economic workflow – even compared to a couple years ago. Most recently, Coinbase announced a partnership with payments provider Stripe to offer USDC on Base for crypto payouts and on their fiat-to-crypto onramp, while Visa, Mastercard and PayPal have all launched their own stablecoin initiatives in recent years. Other notable mentions include Shift4, Nuvei, Worldpay and Checkout.com. That said, stablecoins require greater regulatory clarity and a smoother crypto user experience to more firmly establish the foundations for their potential.