The Central Bank of Mauritania has commissioned Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) to design a digital form of the national currency Ouguiya as a complement to cash.
G+D has been contracted to support the central bank in defining the requirements for a national CBDC and deliver the technical solution for initial testing of defined uses cases.
"The Banque Centrale de Mauritanie has strategically positioned itself for the potential launch of a digital currency," explains Mohamed Lemine Ould Dhehby, governor of the Central Bank of Mauritania. "Through the exploratory work we have now agreed, we are expanding our knowledge base, skills and experience. G+D's expertise in this innovative, rapidly developing field will help us to bring it to life for the benefit of the whole country."
G+D's CBDC work in Africa also includes similar projects in Ghana and Eswatini.
In March, Banco do Brasil selected G+D to test offline payments as part of pilot trials of its central banking digital currency, Drex. This followed an equivalent project undertaken in Hong Kong on the e-HKD CBDC pilot programme.