International Conference on Central Bank Digital Currencies and Payment Systems

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Authored by: Simon Deane and Hui Ling Yuen

The International Conference on Central Bank Digital Currencies and Payment Systems (the “Conference”), jointly organised by the HKMA, the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary and Financial Research and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, took place on 11 April 2024.

The conference brought together over 100 representatives from international financial institutions, central banks, policymakers, academia and other industry experts and provided a platform to discuss the latest developments and future implications of the use of central bank digital currencies (“CBDC”).

Key topics explored during the Conference included:

• lessons from central banks’ efforts to develop and implement CBDCs in various jurisdictions;
• the synergies and interplay between digital finance innovations such as CBDCs, stablecoins and tokenised deposits in the evolving digital money landscape; and
• the future challenges and opportunities for the broader adoption of such digital assets within the financial ecosystem.

In his opening keynote speech, Mr. Eddie Yue, chief executive of the HKMA, gave his thoughts on the evolution of CBDCs and the development of a holistic digital money framework. He highlighted various ongoing initiatives led by the HKMA in exploring potential systems and structures to support the wider use of digital currencies and tokenised assets. He also emphasised the critical roles that central banks and public policy should play in ensuring a stable yet innovative and competitive digital money landscape, and the importance of public-private collaboration among different stakeholders.

The full keynote speech delivered by Mr. Yue is available here. You can also access the press release from HKMA on the conference here.

Key Contacts

Simon Deane

Consultant | Banking and Finance

Email or call +852 2825 9209