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The Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) has published a consultative paper that sets out the design characteristics of a potential retail digital lilangeni. The Bank has partnered with Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) to advance its research and exploration of CBDCs and is now entering the experimentation phase of its CBDC project. It will be based on a two-tiered operating model, where the CBE operates the core infrastructure and intermediaries are in charge of distributing CBDC to end users, once obtained from the CBE, and handle all customer-facing activities. It will be unremunerated, transactions will be free of charge to consumers, and it will enable true and full interoperability with the existing payment methods and wholesale and retail infrastructures. Offline functionality will ensure continued usage even in the absence of an internet connection, during power outages, or simply in certain rural areas. Some payments with - and wallets that store - digital lilangeni will be equipped with programmability features for value-added and innovative use case scenarios.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and Bank Indonesia announced the 21 shortlisted finalists for the G20 TechSprint CBDC challenge. The shortlisted teams now have until the end of August to complete their prototypes, which will then be judged by an independent expert panel convened by Bank Indonesia. Winners for each of the three categories will be announced in October ahead of the G20 Summit. Among the shortlisted were BitMint, R3, Ripple, S.e.A. (Stellar, eCurrency and ANZ), Bitt-IDEMIA, Crunchfish, and Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) Filia.

The Bank of Canada (BoC)published an article that considers the pros and cons  of offline central bank digital currency (CBDC). An offline CBDC would allows users to transact while none of them are connected to the internet and could complement bank notes. A balance must be struck between compliance, security requirements and user needs, for example, by limits on holdings, transaction amounts and the duration of offline functionality. The article mentions that, while some central banks have deployed offline devices as part of pilots, no commercial, turn-key solutions are available to implement lengthy and indeterminate ("extended") offline functionality. I don't know what is meant by "commercial turnkey solutions" but a number of production-ready solutions offer extended offline functionality, such as those of Crunchfish, G+D, IDEMIA and WhisperCash. Also, those firms would disagree with the article's assertion that "adopting a security posture in terms of limits, controls and functionality, where risks are sufficiently mitigated, is still a challenge for technology available today"! But otherwise it's good to see a G20 central bank advocating for offline CBDC functionality, which I view as essential to successful CBDC take-up in many countries.

The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic (NBKR) has received proposals from twelve firms to develop and test a demo version of a digital som central bank digital currency (CBDC). The NBKR will select from Axellect, DCM, EMTECH, FIS, G+D Filia GmbH, Knox Networks, MONTRAN,Nahmii, Ltd, R3 Corda, SICPA/Nabatech, TCS Quartz, and Xiamen Strait Chain Technology. The selection criteria will focus on blockchain platform technology.

"A digital wallet is a container of secret keys that may be used as vouchers or credentials. Often, those represent or enable access to money. They can come in different forms, such as smartphone apps or physical devices, employ countermeasures against tampering and cloning (often implemented as Secure Elements), and typically use digital signature mechanisms to prove possession of the secret keys. Perhaps most importantly, digital wallets must have some form of user interface that allow holders to carry out transactions, such as confirming their identity, asking for a PIN code, or initiating a payment.

The Central Bank of Ghana (BoG) has reportedly granted Vodafone Cash and CalBank customers the opportunity to test its online version of its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the eCedi. BoG has created online and offline wallets for eCedi but has only deployed the online pilot in the city's capital, Accra. Meanwhile, the BoG's Governor reported that usage and uptake of the offline version of the eCedi is still being piloted in a small town called Sefwi Asafo in the Western North region.

The Bank of Ghana outlined the key design aspects of its retail CBDC plans. With inclusiveness being a major motivation, it will attempt to bring the eCedi to citizens without a bank account, or even internet access. In that regard, the Bank proposed the use of hardware wallets and other devices.

The Bank of Ghana (BOG) confirmed the completion of the Project Digital Economy Semi-Fungible Token (DESFT), a joint project with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The first phase saw the development of the blockchain-based Universal Trusted Credentials (UTC) system that enables micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to efficiently verify authenticity of key information, such as basic credentials, licenses, certificates, and trade records across borders. In the second phase, a cross-border payment was made using UTCs, the eCedi CBDC and a Singapore dollar stablecoin, using the purpose-bound money (PBM) protocol.