Hong Kong Goes Wild with Chainlink for CBDC Experiment!

Hold onto your hats, folks! The Hong Kong government is teaming up with Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to test cross-border transactions! Wait—don’t fall asleep yet, this isn’t your grandma’s boring blockchain news! We’re talking digital assets flying across different blockchains faster than a speeding bullet. đŸš€đŸ’„

This is all part of Phase Two of Hong Kong’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) initiative. According to a recent report from—wait for it—Visa (yes, the card company that makes you feel rich when your account says otherwise), they’re working on a completely hypothetical situation where an Australian investor wants to buy a tokenized asset in Hong Kong. Got it? It’s like playing Monopoly but with real money
 and digital wallets. đŸ€‘

So, the investor asks to pay in a stablecoin tied to Australia’s currency, and *BOOM*—the transaction zips across multiple blockchains like a digital game of tag. By the time it reaches the investor’s wallet, they’ve got a shiny new asset
 in Hong Kong’s CBDC. Confused? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. đŸ€Ż

Now, the magic sauce here is Chainlink’s CCIP, which works like the glue that sticks different blockchains together. And according to Chainlink, this isn’t some half-baked project—they’re live on dozens of blockchains, including the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible and Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)-compatible ones. The Ethereum testnet, Sepolia, will be used for this study, so you know it’s fancy. đŸ’Œâœš

The key partners for this high-tech experiment? Well, we’ve got Visa playing tech provider, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) bringing in the banking expertise, and ChinaAMC and Fidelity International as the asset managers. Talk about a power team, right? đŸ’Ș

Let’s talk about the big idea behind all this—permissioned vs. permissionless blockchains. Permissioned blockchains are like those exclusive clubs you can never get into (but really wish you could), with privacy and control at the top of the list. On the other hand, permissionless blockchains are the party animals of the blockchain world—open to everyone and decentralization galore! 🌍🎉

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) kicked off Phase Two of the CBDC program back on September 23, 2024. By the end of 2025, they plan to publish the results from these studies. If you think that sounds like a long time, well, you’re right! But hey, it’s blockchain—things move fast and slow at the same time. ⏳

CBDC Fever is… Fading?

Guess what? According to a survey from February 2025, only 18% of central banks worldwide are now jumping on the CBDC bandwagon—down from 38% in 2022. So, it looks like that fever might just be cooling down, folks! But wait, don’t worry—Israel is still designing its digital shekel (because who wouldn’t want a shekel in their wallet?), and the European Union is still full throttle on CBDC development. Maybe we’re not out of the woods yet. đŸŒČ

Read More

2025-06-09 21:49

Previous post Henry Cavill’s ’80s action remake gets an exciting update
Next post Clash Royale: The Epic Clutch and the Meme-Worthy Deck Drama