Digital Currencies

Digital Currencies

Digital payment systems are bringing millions of unbanked and underbanked online and rapidly revolutionizing global finance. But new technology brings new challenges. From cybersecurity to sanctions evasion to money laundering. Should more governments step in and create their own Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)? What are China’s ambitions for its digital yuan? Can a transatlantic cooperative project can set new standards on digital currencies and ensure stable and transparent cross-border payments?

Central Bank Digital Currency Tracker

Our flagship Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Tracker takes you inside the rapid evolution of money all over the world. The interactive database now features 130 countries representing 98% of global GDP.

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Cryptocurrency Regulation Tracker

Cryptocurrencies may significantly alter financial structures as they exist today and transform the next generation of money and payments. Our interactive database analyzes the state of cryptocurrency regulations in 60 of the world’s largest economies.

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Could a stablecoin jumpstart postwar reconstruction?

New Atlanticist Jan 25, 2024

The Fed is falling behind as other central banks leap ahead on digital currencies

By Josh Lipsky, Ananya Kumar

And the innovation gap is not just on CBDCs. FedNow, the long-awaited interbank settlement system, has taken years longer than comparable systems in Europe.
Digital Currencies Economy & Business
Could a stablecoin jumpstart postwar reconstruction?

Econographics Nov 6, 2023

Central bank digital currency evolution in 2023: From investigation to preparation

By Alisha Chhangani

Explore CBDC evolution in 2023, including key developments from central banks and what is next for the digital euro.
Digital Currencies Economy & Business
Could a stablecoin jumpstart postwar reconstruction?

New Atlanticist Aug 29, 2023

Russia is ramping up its CBDC. Will Putin’s ‘robot ruble’ work?

By Ananya Kumar, Charles Lichfield

Given the extent of financial sanctions following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia is trying to open alternative channels for cross-border payments.
Conflict Digital Currencies
Could a stablecoin jumpstart postwar reconstruction?

New Atlanticist May 16, 2023

Not so fast: The case for a new SWIFT

By Josh Lipsky, Ananya Kumar

Imagine a network that combines both messaging and settlement to become a one-stop shop for international payments. It’s time for the US and its allies and partners to make that idea a reality.
Digital Currencies Economy & Business
Could a stablecoin jumpstart postwar reconstruction?

Econographics Apr 24, 2023

Practice makes perfect: What China wants from its digital currency in 2023

By Ananya Kumar

The e-CNY network has expanded over the last year, and China’s goals have only become clearer. Domestically, the People’s Bank of China is still in test-and-learn mode, globally, China is more focused on setting defining international standards.
China Cybersecurity
Could a stablecoin jumpstart postwar reconstruction?

New Atlanticist Dec 15, 2022

It’s official: The United States is developing a bank-to-bank digital currency

By Josh Lipsky, Ananya Kumar

The New York Federal Reserve’s latest project shows the United States making its presence felt in the digital-currency race.
Digital Currencies Economy & Business

At the intersection of economics, finance, and foreign policy, the GeoEconomics Center is a translation hub with the goal of helping shape a better global economic future.

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Content

Issue Brief

Aug 26, 2026

Could a stablecoin jumpstart postwar reconstruction?

By Avia Liberman, Melanie Robbins

A stablecoin could give the Palestinian economy a secure, fast, and cost-effective pathway toward greater financial stability and autonomy.

Digital Currencies Digital Policy

Econographics

Aug 24, 2026

Stablecoin regulation has outpaced global coordination. The G20 can help.

By Jai Massari

Three challenges stand out: recognizing issuers across borders, agreeing on common rules for stablecoin use, and making stablecoins truly fungible across jurisdictions.

Digital Currencies Digital Policy

Report

Aug 21, 2026

The future of money in Palestine

By Atlantic Council experts

Gaza needs more than billions in reconstruction funding. It needs a financial system that can move that money securely to households, businesses, and public institutions—and keep it from being lost, diverted, or blocked.

Civil Society Digital Currencies

Econographics

Jul 31, 2026

The infrastructure for tokenized bank deposits is beginning to take shape

By Hung Tran

Tokenized bank deposits remain modest in scale and largely limited to fragmented, bank-specific networks. Yet recent pilots suggest that the infrastructure needed for cross-border use is beginning to emerge.

Digital Currencies Digital Policy

Econographics

Jun 12, 2026

As the US targets Brazil’s payment system, Europe should pay close attention 

By Alisha Chhangani

In its determination on Brazil’s trade practices, the USTR has zeroed in on the instant payment system Pix—raising alarms not only in Brasília but also in Brussels.

Brazil Digital Currencies

Testimony

May 21, 2026

Carole House testifies to House Financial Services Committee on modernizing illicit finance frameworks for the twenty-first century

By Carole House

Carole House testified to the House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions at a hearing titled, “Modernizing the BSA for Financial Crime in the 21st Century."

Digital Currencies Economy & Business

Econographics

May 20, 2026

The global push for local-currency cross-border payments is intensifying

By Hung Tran

More than one hundred countries now operate instant payment systems, and growing efforts to link them are reshaping how cross-border transactions get settled in local currencies.

Digital Currencies Dollar Dominance

Issue Brief

Apr 1, 2026

Global payment systems are fragmenting. Here’s what the G20 can do.

By Greg Brownstein

Fragmentation is reshaping global payment systems, driven by technological change, regulatory divergence, market dynamics, and rising geopolitical tensions. While innovation have long-term benefits, the near-term risks to efficiency, inclusion, and financial stability are mounting, demanding a more implementation-focused G20 agenda.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business

Econographics

Feb 24, 2026

The European Central Bank’s next president may decide the fate of the digital euro

By Alisha Chhangani, Jacopo Pastorelli

The four frontrunners don't oppose the digital euro, but their positions differ on pace, framing, and the risks they're most concerned about.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business

Econographics

Jan 15, 2026

What to watch as China prepares its digital yuan for prime time

By Alisha Chhangani

The changes China is implementing around the e-CNY signal a more mature phase for the digital yuan—and an overall shift toward a much broader geopolitical ambition.

China Digital Currencies
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Experts

Fellow

Chris Brummer

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoEconomics Center

Digital Currencies Economy & Business

Staff

Alisha Chhangani

Associate Director

GeoEconomics Center

Digital Currencies Digital Policy

Millennium fellow

Julián Colombo 

Senior Director for South America, Bitso

Millennium Leadership Program

Digital Currencies Latin America

Fellow

Giulia Fanti

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoEconomics Center

Digital Currencies

Fellow

Christy Goldsmith Romero

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoEconomics Center

Digital Currencies Economy & Business

Fellow

Michael Greenwald

Senior Advisor to the President and CEO

GeoEconomics Center

Digital Currencies Digital Policy
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