The central bank of Zimbabwe, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), reiterated its preference for a central bank digital currency (CBDC) over cryptocurrencies, in its latest monetary policy statement. He added that he is "actively exploring the feasibility of adopting a Zimbabwean CBDC, including specific design considerations." According to a statement released by John Mangudya, the bank's governor, RBZ is already developing a roadmap for its CBDC. The statement reads: In this context, the Bank is developing a clear roadmap for the adoption of the CBDC, which includes the feasibility and evaluation phase currently underway, the policy design phase based on the results of the feasibility study and the methods of implementation. The RBZ added that it will publish periodic updates on the progress of the CBDC program.
Meanwhile, in the monetary policy statement, the RBZ also revealed that its fintech regulatory sandbox, launched in March 2021, received "112 online portal registrations and another 31 applications in various stages." According to the central bank, the software and systems development category alone accounts for 48% of what the bank defines as registered users. The share of registered users in the payments category is 18% while the categories of bank shares and savings and deposit categories are 8% and 1% respectively. Raising capital, managing investments, lending and others all account for the remaining 25%. The RBZ meanwhile says the sandbox remains open to innovations, while guidelines that potential candidates can use can be found on the institution's website.