Recent years have witnessed the rapid evolution of digital payment systems worldwide. In particular, the African continent, India and China have emerged as vibrant testing grounds for innovation — each charting unique paths to expand financial access, enhance transaction efficiency and explore new technologies, such as central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and blockchain. At the same time, geopolitical considerations and alternative payment infrastructures are reshaping the contours of international finance, challenging the dominance of traditional systems such as the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) and the role of the US dollar.
Against this backdrop, the Centre for International Governance Innovation is hosting a conference to delve into the future of digital payments across these three regions, examining regulatory collaboration, global governance, financial inclusion and technical advancements in cross-border payments. The event will convene policy makers, industry experts, academics and civil society stakeholders to exchange insights, identify synergies and propose actionable policy solutions.
EVENT OBJECTIVES
- Examine the Geopolitics of Alternative Payment Systems
- Explore how emerging platforms, such as mBridge, BRICS Pay and other digital payment rails, impact existing networks (for example, SWIFT) and the global monetary order.
- Discuss the potential risks and benefits of a multipolar or fragmented payment landscape.
- Foster Regulatory Cooperation
- Highlight how different regions — each experimenting with regulatory sandboxes — can collaborate on wholesale CBDCs, tokenization and digital asset regulations.
- Identify best practices for cross-jurisdictional coordination that balances innovation, stability and consumer protection.
- Promote Financial Inclusion
- Align with Group of Twenty (G20) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) frameworks to examine how digital payments and digital assets can rapidly expand financial access to unbanked and underbanked populations.
- Showcase success stories and challenges from the African continent, India and China, informing targeted policy interventions.
- Assess Technological Advancements
- Explore the impacts of blockchain, distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) and cloud computing on cross-border payments, especially in reducing transaction costs and settlement times.
- Investigate cutting-edge digital payment innovations and their implications for interoperability and cyber resilience.
POLICY AREAS
- Geopolitics of Alternative Digital Payment Systems: The focus will be on mBridge, BRICS Pay and their implications for currency competition, potential de-dollarization trends and the resilience of SWIFT-based networks.
- Regulatory Cooperation and Experimentation with Tokenization: The focus will be on different sandbox approaches in Asia and Africa, testing wholesale CBDC prototypes, cross-border settlement via tokenized assets, and shared-risk frameworks.
- Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion: The focus will be on how the G20 and the SDGs agendas intersect with rapid adoption of mobile money, digital banking and digital assets, effectively bringing underserved communities into the formal financial sector.
- Technological Innovations in Cross-Border Payments: The focus will be on technical underpinnings of blockchain, DLT, cloud services and artificial intelligence-driven compliance solutions shaping the future of cost-effective, secure cross-border payments.
Agenda
Publications
Conference Report
Policy Briefs
