Are central banks ready to move tokenization from simulation to real money?
A Bank for International Settlements-led trial has shown that tokenized central bank money and bank deposits can complete cross-border payments in a single atomic step across currencies.Project Agorá has shown that tokenized central bank reserves and bank deposits can settle cross-border payments atomically across currencies.More than 40 private institutions and seven central banks have joined the BIS effort, which has now moved toward real-value transaction tests.Separately, the BIS has warned that stablecoins and crypto exchange “earn” products can expose users to unsecured repayment risk. According to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Project Agorá has tested how tokenized central bank reserves and commercial bank deposits can settle transactions on an “all-or-nothing” basis, so neither side is left exposed if the other leg fails. Project Agorá tests tokenized bank money Under todays system, the BIS said a cross-border transfer can pass through multiple intermediary banks before reaching the recipient, which can stretch settlement to days and add operational risk during reconciliation. In the Project Agorá design, the BIS and participants used tokenization and blockchain-style rails to reduce handoffs and complete settlement simultaneously across jurisdictions. Project Agorá is a joint effort between the BIS, seven central banks, and more than 40 private financial institutions. The BIS