Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Australia’s Central Bank Launches Phase 2 Wholesale CBDC Trials

ASIC’s relief permits real-money settlements, allowing institutions to test digital payment infrastructure using a tokenized Australian dollar before a 2026 report.

Image
Pedestrians walk past the Reserve Bank of Australia building in central Sydney, Australia, March 7, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray/ File Photo
CBDCs Central bank digital currencies central banks tokenization Australia Commonwealth Bank Reserve Bank of Australia Westpac Bank ANZ

Overview

  • Phase 2 of Project Acacia began on July 10 with 19 live pilot cases and five proof-of-concept scenarios testing stablecoins, bank deposit tokens and a wholesale CBDC.
  • ASIC granted participants relief from regulatory requirements to conduct real-money transactions across asset classes including fixed income, trade receivables and carbon credits.
  • Major banks ANZ, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac have joined fintechs on distributed ledger platforms such as Hedera, Redbelly, R3 Corda and Canvas Connect.
  • The trials aim to assess improvements in settlement efficiency, transparency, collateral use and operational risk management in wholesale markets.
  • Results from the six-month testing phase are due in the first quarter of 2026 and will inform any decision on a broader digital dollar rollout.