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According to South Korean media EToday, the South Korean government announced the "2026 Economic Growth Strategy for the Second Half of the Year," declaring that it will accelerate the advancement of three major "super projects": semiconductors, AI data centers, and physical AI, and plans to enhance industrial competitiveness through the construction of blockchain and digital asset ecosystems.According to the plan, South Korea aims to double its storage chip production capacity within the next five years and launch an AI chatbot and a unified AI education platform for the public in the second half of this year. Notably, the South Korean government proposed to advance large-scale demonstration projects for blockchain and digital asset ecosystems in the second half of this year and to initiate a pilot project for the tokenization of government bonds based on blockchain, exploring the linkage with the central bank's institutional CBDC to promote the upgrade of financial infrastructure. In addition, South Korea also plans to establish strategic investment accounts and a national growth fund to expand long-term capital support for strategic industries such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, security, and blockchain.

According to Cointelegraph, Elvira Nabiullina, the Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, confirmed that the digital ruble will be launched as scheduled on September 1, and everything is "ready." The digital ruble will serve as a supplement to the Russian fiat ruble and will initially be accepted by financial and credit institutions. The development of this CBDC began in 2021, and the European Union has implemented preemptive sanctions on the digital ruble effective April 2025 in response to Russia's war against Ukraine. Vladimir Chistyukhin, the First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, stated that the laws related to the digital ruble will take effect on September 1, with a transition period until July 2027.In contrast, the U.S. housing bill containing a CBDC ban has been submitted to Trump, and if the president does not sign it within 10 days, it will automatically take effect, with the ban lasting until 2030.

According to CoinDesk, U.S. President Trump refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill that includes a four-year ban on the central bank digital currency (CBDC), temporarily canceling the scheduled signing ceremony and demanding that Congress first pass his proposed SAVE AMERICA ACT election bill.The CBDC provision in the housing bill would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a digital dollar before the end of 2030, which was originally seen as an important advancement by the cryptocurrency industry.

According to Cointelegraph, the U.S. House of Representatives passed housing legislation with a vote of 358 to 32, which includes a provision for a temporary ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDC), lasting until 2030. The bill has now been sent to President Trump for signing. Previously, it was reported that the U.S. Senate passed a housing bill that includes a four-year ban on the Federal Reserve's CBDC.

On the evening of June 22, the U.S. Senate passed the "21st Century Housing Road Act" with an overwhelming vote of 85-5. The bill has now been sent to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass quickly and be signed into law by President Trump. The central bank digital currency (CBDC) ban has become a key additional clause in the bill, which will prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currencies (CBDC) or any substantially similar digital assets before the end of 2030, even if issued indirectly through financial institutions. The bill also explicitly exempts private stablecoins (such as USDC, USDT).

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Senate passed a housing bill with a vote of 85 to 5, which includes a four-year ban on Federal Reserve central bank digital currency (CBDC). This ban will last until the end of 2030, prohibiting the Federal Reserve system or its member banks from issuing or creating central bank digital currency or any digital assets that are substantially similar. Although the Federal Reserve has not actively promoted a CBDC project, Republican lawmakers view CBDCs as a dangerous act of government overreach and insisted on including it in the housing bill. The newly appointed Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh called CBDCs a "bad policy choice" during his nomination hearing. Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 prohibiting any actions to advance CBDCs. If the House passes it and the President signs it, the ban will become law.

According to ET News, the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) experiment in South Korea is advancing to a new stage, which will achieve integration with the actual account systems of commercial banks. Participating banks are currently building the necessary infrastructure based on Naver Cloud within the testing environment designated by the central bank.This infrastructure includes electronic wallets for customers and merchants, a voucher system for executing fiscal fund payments, digital currency management tools, and a blockchain integration module. The system will ultimately be integrated with the banks' core account ledgers and smart banking services.

According to The Block, leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives jointly released an updated version of the "21st Century Housing Road Act," confirming that the two chambers have reached a bipartisan agreement. The core content of the bill focuses on housing affordability reform, including expanding housing supply and limiting market monopolies by corporate landlords. Notably, an additional clause in the bill explicitly prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing or creating CBDCs and any "substantially similar" digital assets before December 31, 2030, a clause driven by House Republicans. The Trump administration has consistently held this position, with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin previously stating that CBDCs are "not under consideration." The bill will first undergo procedural voting in the Senate and is expected to be submitted to the House for review after Congress reconvenes, and then sent to the President for signing.

According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, the final text of the compromise on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), proposed by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, includes a Federal Reserve CBDC ban that was originally part of the housing bill. This text is expected to ultimately become law. Notably, the termination date of the ban has been moved up from December 31, 2030, to June 12, 2029.

According to Bloomberg, European Central Bank Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel stated that stablecoins pose multiple risks to financial stability and monetary policy, and the best response from the European Central Bank is to ensure that public money continues to serve as the anchor of the system.She pointed out that while private monetary innovations like stablecoins can bring "significant benefits," they may also increase the risk of runs on the financial system, weaken the transmission effects of interest rate decisions, and reinforce the international dominance of the dollar. Schnabel emphasized that the European Central Bank's strategy relies on the digital euro as a retail central bank digital currency and tokenized central bank money as wholesale CBDC.She noted that many advantages of stablecoins stem from their underlying technology rather than the characteristics of the instruments themselves. The day before Schnabel's remarks, Federal Reserve Governor Waller stated that the global spread of stablecoins could expand the influence of U.S. central bank policies and questioned CBDCs, calling them "a stupid thing."

According to Coin Desk, former U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Timothy Massad stated that despite Trump's public commitment to oppose central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and government-backed stablecoins, the U.S. may ultimately launch a government-supported on-chain digital dollar scheme driven by the global development of tokenized finance.Massad mentioned that the White House is conducting closed-door research on the relevant infrastructure, and the U.S. has also participated in the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Project Agora. Mark Gould, head of payment services at the Federal Reserve, stated that a digital dollar is currently not within the Federal Reserve's responsibilities, but if a government-supported digital dollar is launched, it will be the responsibility of the Federal Reserve.

According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Republican lawmakers are calling for a permanent ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in the upcoming vote on the "21st Century Housing Act" in the House of Representatives. Congressman Mike Flood stated that the House's revised bill aims to overturn the "implicit green light" for CBDCs, making the ban permanent. If the bill passes the House, it will return to the Senate for possible further revisions. Congressman Warren Davidson supports the permanent ban and believes that the 2030 expiration date effectively gives CBDCs a pre-launch development period. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is also promoting his "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act," which passed the House last July but has not yet been approved by the Senate. Emmer warned that if the U.S. adopts a CBDC, privacy and economic freedom will cease to exist.

According to Bloomberg, the UK Treasury and the Bank of England are discussing slowing down the progress of the "Britcoin" digital pound project, with the "advance or halt" decision originally scheduled for this summer possibly being changed to a temporary pause.Sources say that regulators want to first observe the progress of banks in areas such as tokenized deposits, as these private innovations may achieve some similar rapid low-cost payment functions to CBDCs or stablecoins within the existing regulatory framework. The digital pound is currently nearing the end of its design phase, but it faces public, parliamentary, and some officials' doubts regarding privacy, necessity, and its impact on the commercial banking system. Internal research from the Bank of England also shows that as digital payment methods improve, the marginal benefits of launching a retail CBDC are declining.

India is promoting the application of the digital rupee through about 10 welfare pilot projects, distributing part of the approximately $80 billion in subsidies and food benefits via e-rupee to reduce fund leakage and corruption, and to provide a clearer use case for central bank digital currency.At the same time, the Reserve Bank of India is pushing for a cross-member CBDC interconnection plan to be proposed at the 2026 BRICS summit, aiming to enhance the efficiency of cross-border trade settlements and reduce reliance on the US dollar. Currently, there are about 10 million e-rupee users, with a cumulative transaction amount of approximately $3.6 billion, which is still significantly lower than the UPI system that processes about $300 billion in transactions monthly in India.

Kim Hyun-jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea's Digital Assets Special Task Force, stated that they plan to submit the basic law on digital assets related to stablecoins (Phase Two legislation) after the local elections and simultaneously advance the review of the bill in the subcommittee.He pointed out that there are still differences regarding issues such as the shareholding restrictions for major shareholders of exchanges, which need further discussion. At the same time, he believes that, in the context of the Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-sung's positive attitude towards stablecoins, relevant legislation is expected to progress. In addition, the task force is considering meeting with him after the elections to advance the design of the CBDC and the Korean won stablecoin system.

According to The Block, the new governor of the Bank of Korea, Shin Hyun-song, delivered an inaugural speech promising to promote the development of central bank digital currency (CBDC) and deposit tokens, and will expand related applications through the "Han River Project" Phase Two, while participating in global collaborations such as Project Agora to strengthen the position of the Korean won in the global payment system.It is noteworthy that Shin Hyun-song did not mention the Korean won stablecoin in his speech, despite South Korean legislators actively advancing the "Digital Asset Basic Law" to establish a legal framework for stablecoins, with discussions expected to resume after the regional elections on June 3. Previously, during his tenure at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Shin held a negative attitude towards stablecoins, believing that stablecoins could not replace currency, but it has been reported that his stance has changed, stating that the Korean won stablecoin should coexist with CBDC.

According to a report by the Korea Herald, the nominee for the governor of the Bank of Korea, Shin Hyun-sung, stated in a written response during a personnel hearing at the National Assembly that central bank digital currency (CBDC) and commercial bank deposit tokens based on its issuance should become the core of the digital currency ecosystem. Shin Hyun-sung expressed basic support for the introduction of a Korean won stablecoin but emphasized that maintaining trust in the currency is the most important.Regarding the issuing entity of the Korean won stablecoin, he believes that South Korea is not a reserve currency country, and compliance capability is crucial. Therefore, he suggested prioritizing the issuance by a bank-centered alliance, allowing non-bank institutions to participate, and gradually expanding later. Shin Hyun-sung holds a cautious attitude towards the claim that stablecoins can enhance foreign exchange trading efficiency, believing that it is still unclear whether blockchain can comply with capital and foreign exchange regulations. He also stated that crypto assets, including stablecoins, have failed to meet the core functions of currency such as a measure of value, medium of exchange, and store of value, asserting that crypto assets cannot replace fiat currency.

According to CoinDesk, Brett Guynn, a legal official at the Federal Reserve, stated that there are currently no ongoing central bank digital currency (CBDC) development plans.

The Bank of Korea announced the recruitment of 10 new employees, some of whom are required to have at least five years of experience in the cryptocurrency industry, starting as digital asset market analysts as early as July this year, responsible for researching the impact of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized assets on financial stability.The recruitment news coincides with the central bank's restart of the CBDC project, the Han River project, which was halted last year due to feedback from pilot users regarding inconvenience. The new round of plan adjustments is repositioned towards government and enterprise application scenarios: the authorities aim to distribute 25% of government subsidies in digital won by 2030 and plan to launch pilot payments in the first half of 2026. The head of the digital currency planning team at the Bank of Korea stated that stablecoins and CBDCs are not in competition but rather complement each other. This deployment aligns with upcoming legislation, as South Korea will lift the long-standing ban on the domestic issuance of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.

The South China Morning Post published a debate. Gary Liu, co-founder of Terminal 3, pointed out that the GENIUS Act will convert 99% of the over $300 billion stablecoin market into a tool for consolidating dollar hegemony, and the window for countries around the world to establish parallel systems is rapidly closing. Liu Xiaochun, an economist at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, characterized stablecoins as casino chips, criticizing Washington for blocking CBDCs while allowing private stablecoins, arguing that this essentially protects the interests of crypto operators rather than promoting monetary innovation.The demand for stablecoins does indeed exist—people in Turkey, Nigeria, and Argentina use them to hedge against currency depreciation, and the global cross-border remittance market is nearly $1 trillion in size. Previously, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority had reviewed 36 license applications, with a consortium led by HSBC and Standard Chartered, as well as OSL Group, making the cut. However, the peg of the Hong Kong dollar to the US dollar means that a Hong Kong version of stablecoin will ultimately struggle to break free from the US dollar's orbit.