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The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is inviting members of the public to register for access to its central bank digital currency (CBDC), in preparation for the second phase of its pilot. Following the first phase of the pilot, the central bank now plans to roll out the CBDC to Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis. The ECCB is yet to announce the exact date of the launch.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) will soon launch its DCash digital version of the EC Dollar. The central bank digital currency (CBDC) will be rolled out initially in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. With it, for example, folks who live in Grenada will be able to send DCash to family and friends in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Those who shop in Saint Lucia but live in Antigua or Barbuda will be able to send DCash from Antigua Barbuda to pay merchants for goods and services in Saint Lucia.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is partnering with Bitt to roll out its eNaira central bank digital currency (CBDC) later this year. Project Giant, as the Nigerian CBDC pilot is known, has been a long and thorough process for the CBN, that started with the Bank's decision to digitize the Naira in 2017. Bitt was previously key to the development and launch of the CBDC pilot of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) in April 2021. https://www.cbn.gov.ng/Out/2021/CCD/CBN%20Press%20Release%20(CBDC)%2030082021.pdf

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) DCash officially went live in The Commonwealth of Dominica and Montserrat, expanding the central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot to six countries.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) DCash has been offline since January 14, and it could take several more days to fully restore service, bank officials told Bloomberg News. The "interruption" didn't compromise any data but it stopped all transactions. The problem was related to an expiring certificate on the version of the Hyperledger Fabric that hosts the DCash ledger.

The ECCU payment system will require a reexamination of the regulatory framework, the engagement framework and the currency framework and a pilot project using the blockchain based digital currency, dubbed DXCD will test and expose the issues that arise from turning the promise inherent in money from paper to bits.

The Kansas City Fed published an article by Franklin Noll that analyzes the underwhelming adoption of retail CBDC in the three Caribbean jurisdictions where they have been launched (Bahamas and Jamaica) or are being piloted (Eastern Caribbean Currency Union). It concludes that, to spur adoption it needs to add value relative to cash, be widely accepted, readily accessed, and easily used. Also, the new platform may need to be integrated into existing payments systems; into ways that consumers, merchants, and banks do business; and, ultimately, into people's lives.