CBDC — Central Bank Digital Currency.
Definition
A Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is a digital form of a country's official currency — issued and backed directly by its central bank, the same way physical banknotes are, rather than by a private company or a decentralized protocol. That's the key distinction from cryptocurrency or a stablecoin: a CBDC is sovereign money in digital form, with the full backing and monetary authority of the issuing government behind it.
How widespread this already is
As of 2026, 134 countries and currency unions — representing 98% of world GDP — are researching, piloting, or actively launching a CBDC, up from just 35 in 2020. Two of the most advanced pilots are in ImmiCrypt's own home markets: the UAE's Digital Dirham, now legal tender and live on the mBridge cross-border settlement platform, and India's e₹, past six million retail users. The digital euro is targeting a 2027 pilot and possible 2029 issuance. See our full Mandate for the complete data and sourcing.
Why this matters for citizenship & residency by investment
Every CBI/RBI program today accepts payment in fiat currency — bank wires, bonds, real estate escrow, all denominated in dollars, euros, or the local currency. A CBDC is still fiat currency; it's simply issued in digital, programmable form. As central banks move CBDCs from retail pilot into cross-border settlement — the direction both India's and the UAE's programs are already heading — a CBDC becomes a plausible, government-native instrument for funding investment migration directly, without ever touching a cryptocurrency exchange or a correspondent bank wire. No CBI/RBI program accepts CBDC settlement today; this is a forward-looking instrument, not a live payment method anywhere in our Programs directory yet.
How ImmiCrypt is built around this
Our Government & CBDC partnerships vertical and Settlement rail are both designed currency-agnostic from day one — built to add a CBDC as a supported settlement instrument as soon as a corridor exists, rather than re-architecting the rail later. See mBridge for the cross-border network the UAE's CBDC already runs on.