Pilot

On April 29, 2026, Visa announced that its stablecoin settlement pilot has officially reached a staggering $7 billion annual run rate.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on December 8th launched a pilot program allowing Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and USDC to serve as collateral in regulated derivatives markets.

The Bank of Thailand has begun pilot testing for its central bank digital currencies (CBDC).

Twelve Russian banks are preparing for the first phase of testing the digital ruble. The CBDC will be available for payments between private individuals.

On December 14, Ukraine's TASCOMBANK announced the launch of a pilot project to test the functionality of the electronic hryvnia. Although the National Bank (NBU) supports this project, it claims that it is the only institution authorized to issue the CBDC, so the pilot project will not have a significant impact on the development process.

Ukraine will use blockchain technology to track the supply chain of timber on international markets. It is thus the second country in the world, after China, to test this pilot initiative.

Akoin (AKN), Akon's cryptocurrency, has been piloted at the Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC) for almost a year. Now, the coin is set to be fully launched by September 2021. Is Akon one step away from his Akon City dream?

The Australian government is working its way from traditional to blockchain technology. The Morrison government keeps pouring funds into blockchain research. On July 13, it announced fresh funding of AU $5.6 million, about $4.2 million to support the two mega blockchain pilot projects that will put Australia on the path to blockchain development.

As many countries are competing to see who will be the first to launch an effective working central bank digital currency (CBDC), China seems to be in the lead of this game. The country has carried out several trials of its digital yuan in different parts of the country.