Bank of Ghana Launches Hackathon to Explore Various Use Cases of CBDC

The Ghanaian central bank said it will be hosting a 12-week hackathon where participants are expected to explore the e-cedi’s nine different use cases. At the end of the hackathon, the central bank will hold a conference where individuals with outstanding solutions are recognized.

Addressing Ghana’s Financial Inclusion Challenges

The Ghanaian central bank, also known as Bank of Ghana (BOG), recently announced the launch of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) hackathon. According to the bank, this event seeks to avail opportunities to fintech startups, developers and innovators to develop innovative solutions that explore various use cases of CBDC.

https://t.co/bvOB6EsBoW#eCedi #hackathon #bankofghana pic.twitter.com/KOGqPwBrGT

— Bank of Ghana (@thebankofghana) October 6, 2023

In a press release jointly issued with technology partner Emtech, the Ghanaian central bank said the hackathon will run for a period of 12 weeks. During this time, innovators are expected to come up with solutions that address financial inclusion challenges. At the end of the hackathon, a conference where outstanding solutions are recognized will be held.

Real Life Use Cases

Explaining why this method of discovering the best solutions was chosen, the BOG said:

“The project is a part of the e-cedi research project and presents an opportunity for the Bank to explore emerging technologies, foster creativity and contribute to the advancement of the e-cedi development.”

Meanwhile, the Ghanaian central bank stated that individuals and teams with a passion for the technology are eligible to join the hackathon. Among the nine use cases that the BOG wants developers and innovators to focus on is the use of the e-cedi in merchant transactions. Other use cases include using the e-cedi for government payments and inbound remittances.

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