Tunisia announces “E-dinar” and becomes the world’s first country to launch a central bank digital currency.
E-dinar: World’s first Central Bank Digital Currency
Russian state-owned publication TASS reported that Tunisia joined hands with Russian Universa to roll out the CBDC. The launch was confirmed by the transfer of one dinar between the Tunisian head of the central bank and a representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a time where people are expecting China to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC), Tunisia shocked everyone by launching an E-dinar before a digital yuan. The digital currency is not a crypto asset and hence is totally different from Venezuelan Petro. Instead of creating a new currency, Tunisia has simply digitalized its fiat currency.
Users will be able to use the E-dinar at numerous shops, cafes, and other places in the coming few months. People are able to purchase the currency online and through the planned 2,000 Kiosks in the country.
Tunisia had made its ambitions clear with the launch of the E-dinar. The country now wants to take the currency to a global level and hopes to eliminate the need for US dollars for cross border payments. Tunisia is also trying to separate from payment protocol SWIFt that has the power to turn off payment channels for any nation at any time. The E-dinar puts power in the hands of the central bank of Tunisia.
The project raised concerns regarding the power it has gifted to Universa. The Russian company will receive a percentage form each trade on the system. However, the company claims that it won’t have access to any private keys or the authority to view trade records.
The launch of the E-dinar officially starts the central bank digital currency war with many powerhouses such as China and Brazil are working on their projects. Other nations such as Singapore, Canada, and Thailand are considering issuing their own digital currencies.
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