BIS opens call to private sector participants for Project Agorá

Objective:

  • Collaborate with private sector financial institutions to explore tokenisation in wholesale cross-border payments.
  • Develop a multi-currency ledger for cross-border payments using tokenised commercial and wholesale central bank money.

Call for Participants:

  • Targeted institutions: commercial banks, deposit-taking institutions, financial market infrastructures, and critical service providers.
  • Application deadline: 31 May.
  • Final list of participants to be announced on 9 August.

Project Goals:

  • Test feasibility of a public-private programmable core financial platform.
  • Enhance monetary system functioning through smart contracts and programmability while maintaining a two-tier structure.

Participating Central Banks:

  • Bank of France, Bank of Japan, Bank of Korea, Bank of Mexico, Swiss National Bank, Bank of England, and Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Support and Coordination:

  • Institute of International Finance (IIF) as the convener and intermediary for private sector participants.

Responsibilities of Participants:

  • Provide technical expertise in designing and testing the platform.
  • Explore use cases for cross-border payments within a two-tiered banking system.

Statements and Aims:

  • Cecilia Skingsley, head of BIS Innovation Hub, emphasizes addressing the integration of payment systems, accounting ledgers, and data registries.
  • The initiative aims to test technology within specific operational, regulatory, and legal conditions of participating currencies.
Laura M
Laura M
Laura is a financial reporter, editor, and researcher with a particular interest in fintech innovation, capital markets, and the evolving global banking landscape.

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