TechFlow news, according to Cointelegraph citing local media Kapital, Binur Zhalenov, Chairman of Kazakhstan's National Payment Corporation (NPC), has completed the first transaction using the country's new central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital tenge.
Speaking at the 11th Financial Congress in Almaty, he made a payment using a debit card linked to his CBDC account, officially launching the digital tenge in Kazakhstan’s retail market and pledging "large-scale platform development" in 2024.
The official said that through partnerships with Visa, Mastercard, and local banks, digital tenge payments via Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and other devices can be used anywhere in the world.
Zhalenov also highlighted the programmable potential of the digital tenge, which could support smart contracts, innovative financial services, and digital asset transactions.
He stated that CBDC development in 2024 will focus on offline payments, and by 2025, the NPC expects the digital tenge to be adopted in cross-border trade.
