Impact Index February 2023

On March 3, 2025, the Bank of Israel (BOI) unveiled the preliminary design for its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Digital Shekel (DS), marking a significant step towards modernising the country’s payment landscape. With features such as real-time settlement, interoperability with other payment systems and digital assets, and a strong emphasis on user privacy, the DS aims to serve domestic and cross-border payment needs. The system also includes a tiered service model for payment providers, catering to varying customer requirements while maintaining compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regulations.

The Bank of Thailand has released a set of draft regulations intended to enhance the supervision of retail payment systems deemed critical to the country’s financial infrastructure.