Kazakhstan Unveils Digital Tenge in Limited Pilot Mode With First-Ever Retail Transaction

• Kazakhstan's National Bank plans to adopt the digital tenge, its central bank digital currency (CBDC), for cross-border trade by 2025.
• The pilot phase of the digital tenge involved collaboration with second-tier banks and their clients.
• Payment giants Visa and Mastercard will support the integration of digital tenge on cards.
• The digital tenge offers versatility for applications like smart contracts, financial services, and digital asset transactions.
• The complete rollout of the digital tenge is expected to conclude by the end of 2025, with expanded services and increased involvement of platform participants.
• Research suggests that CBDC payments globally could reach a value of $213 billion annually by 2030.

The sentiment of the article is generally positive, highlighting the progress and potential benefits of Kazakhstan's digital tenge and CBDCs in general.