Aurum is a full-stack (front-end and back-end) central bank digital currency (CBDC) system comprising a wholesale interbank system and a retail e-wallet system. The aim was to bring to life two very different types of tokens: intermediated CBDC and stablecoins backed by CBDC in the interbank system. The latter is unique in the study of CBDC to date. Privacy, safety and flexibility are core to the system.
The system is accompanied by technical manuals totalling over 250 pages that, together with the source code, are made accessible to all BIS member central banks on BIS Open Tech to help catalyse and inspire the global quest for the most suitable retail CBDC architecture.
Options for access to and interoperability of CBDCs for cross-border payments
Central banks must make critical choices on the access of non-residents and foreign financial institutions to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), as well as ensuring multinational interoperability, to fully harness the potential for CBDCs to enhance cross-border payments. This is the main conclusion of a joint report released by the BIS Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures, The BIS Innovation Hub, the IMF and the World Bank.