by
Swiss National Bank
My articles My siteAbout meMy booksMy videos
Follow on:Twitter

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) can be used effectively for international settlements between financial institutions, as shown in the newest wholesale CBDC experiment concluded by the Swiss National Bank (SNB), the Banque de France (BdF) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). The recently completed Project Jura explored settling foreign exchange (FX) transactions in euro and Swiss franc wholesale CBDCs as well as issuing, transferring and redeeming a tokenised euro-denominated French commercial paper between French and Swiss financial institutions.

Project Jura was conducted in collaboration with a group of private sector firms comprising Accenture, Credit Suisse, Natixis, R3, SIX Digital Exchange and UBS. It continues the experimentation conducted by the SNB and the BIS Innovation Hub under Project Helvetia and is part of a series of wholesale CBDC experiments initiated by the BdF in 2020.

The experiment explored the direct transfer of euro and Swiss franc wholesale CBDCs between French and Swiss commercial banks on a single distributed ledger technology platform operated by a third party. Tokenised assets and foreign exchange transactions were settled safely and efficiently using payment-versus-payment and delivery-versus-payment mechanisms. The experiment was conducted in a near-real setting, used real-value transactions and met current regulatory requirements.

Issuing wholesale CBDCs on a third-party platform and giving regulated non-resident financial institutions direct access to central bank money raises intricate policy issues. Jura explored a new approach including subnetworks and dual-notary signing, which may give central banks comfort to issue wholesale CBDCs on third-party platforms and to provide non-resident financial institutions with access to wholesale CBDCs.

“As a small open economy, Switzerland requires efficient and robust cross-border payment and settlement arrangements. Project Jura explores how distributed ledger technology can be successfully leveraged to map out how future-proof cross-border settlement between financial institutions could look like,” said Andréa M. Maechler, Member of the Governing Board, Swiss National Bank.

“With the great success of Jura, the wholesale CBDC experiment programme launched by the Banque de France in 2020 is now completed. Jura demonstrates how wholesale CBDCs can optimise cross-currency and cross-border settlements, which are a key facet of international transactions,” said Sylvie Goulard, Deputy Governor of the Banque de France.

“Project Jura confirms that a well-designed wholesale CBDC can play a critical role as a safe and neutral settlement asset for international financial transactions. It also demonstrates how central banks and the private sector can work together across borders to foster innovation,” said Benoît Cœuré, Head of the BIS Innovation Hub.

Project Jura contributes to the ongoing G20 work on cross-border payments. The experiment is of exploratory nature and should not be interpreted as an indication that the BdF or the SNB plan to issue wholesale CBDCs.

Read the full report:
www.snb.ch, International, Multilateral cooperation, BIS Innovation Hub

You Might Also Like

SNB-Vize Fritz Zurbrügg tritt Ende Juli 2022 zurück

2021-12-07

Fritz Zurbrügg (links) tritt Ende Juli 2022 zurück. Andréa M. Maechler (rechts) dürfte ihm als Direktorin des III. ins II. Departement folgen. (Bild: PD)Fritz Zurbrügg leitete zunächst das III. Departement (Finanzmärkte, Operatives Bankgeschäft und Informatik) der Schweizerischen Nationalbank. Seit Juli 2015 führt er als Vizepräsident des Direktoriums das II. Departement (Finanzstabilität, Bargeld, Finanzen und Risiken).

Devisen: Euro weiter unter Druck – EUR/CHF knapp über 1,05

2021-11-18

Zum Franken blieb der Euro auch im Tagestief nur noch knapp oberhalb der Marke von 1,05. Aktuell wird die Gemeinschaftswährung mit 1,0511 Franken tiefer bewertet als noch am Morgen und am Vortag. “Die Devisenhändler bei der Schweizerischen Nationalbank dürften wieder etwas strammer vor ihren Bildschirmen sitzen”, heisst es in einem Kommentar der Commerzbank. Die SNB sehe die Marke von 1,05 als aktuelle “Schmerzgrenze”, welche mit Devisenmarktinterventionen verteidigt werde.

Interim results of the Swiss National Bank as at 30 September 2021

2021-10-29

The Swiss National Bank reports a profit of CHF 41.4 billion for the first three quarters of 2021. The profit on foreign currency positions amounted to CHF 42.2 billion. A valuation loss of CHF 1.3 billion was recorded on gold holdings. The profit on Swiss franc positions amountedto CHF 0.8 billion.

Devisen: Euro weitet Verluste fällt auf 15-Monatstief – Franken fester

2021-10-07

Verstärkt gesucht ist mittlerweile auch der Franken. So hat das Euro/Franken-Paar seit dem frühen Handel annähernd einen halben Rappen eingebüsst. Wie es in einem aktuellen Devisenkommentar bei Raiffeisen Schweiz heisst, habe sich das Euro/Franken-Paar im September zwar noch über der Marke von 1,08 stabilisiert.

Swiss balance of payments and international investment position: Q2 2021

2021-09-23

In the second quarter of 2021, the current account surplus amounted to almost CHF 11 billion, CHF 7 billion higher than in the same quarter of 2020. The rise was mainly attributable to a higher receipts surplus in goods trade.

SNB und SIX schützen Datenkommunikation vor Cyberrisiken

2021-07-16

Das neue Kommunikationsnetzwerk soll den zugelassenen Teilnehmern des Finanzplatzes Schweiz ermöglichen, untereinander und mit den Finanzmarktinfrastrukturen sicher zu kommunizieren. (Bild: Shutterstock.com/Deepadesigns)

Swiss Banks Boost Capital Bases Despite Coronavirus Crisis 

2021-06-18

Swiss banks have been able to strengthen their capital bases despite deteriorating economic conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Swiss National Bank (SNB). This applies to the two big banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, and also domestic banks.