Ingrid leads the financial innovation discipline at the National Bank of Rwanda, including in the areas of Rwanda Central Bank Digital Currency exploration, the Bank’s Regulatory sandbox implementing the Open Finance Framework, development of digital public infrastructure for innovative and inclusive financial solutions.

National Bank of Rwanda is the central bank of Rwanda

In the fast evolving technological and regulatory landscape, it is important to keep one question that should remain core to the discussion: how CBDCs impact financial health through access and usage of financial services.

CBDCs, if inclusively designed, offer the potential to deliver fast, affordable, and secure financial services directly to individuals. Payments, programmability and other innovation build ups can bring about a new era of swift, customized and low-cost use cases.

Ecosystem design, regulatory alignment, public-private collaboration, and user-centric innovation must converge to ensure CBDCs serve the needs of the financially excluded and underserved not just the financially connected.

Learning from Rwanda’s journey of CBDC exploration, this session will engage on key considerations such as:

• How can CBDCs improve financial resilience and long-term well-being for individuals and small businesses?
• What technological and policy enablers are essential to reach the unserved and underserved?
• How can programmability support targeted financial interventions?

Panel Discussion: Regulation and Supervision of Digital Currencies

This panel discussion explores the evolving landscape of digital currencies and the critical role of regulation and supervision in ensuring financial stability and consumer protection. The panelists will examine questions around compliance, innovation, and international cooperation. Attendees will gain insight into emerging regulatory frameworks and their implications for the future of digital finance.