@BOMBERuss 22 June 2021 more from that month

According to the deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel, Andrew Abir, the regulator has already started a program to test the state digital currency. Interestingly, Abir himself is not too optimistic about the issue of the digital shekel: "Previously, I thought that the probability of issuing a national digital currency within five years is no more than 20%. In the past year, the probability has increased as many other central banks are working on their own CBDCs, but I still think the probability is below 50%." There are still no official statements on the Bank of Israel's website regarding the development or testing of the digital shekel. However, in early May, researchers at the Central Bank of Israel presented a report on the benefits of the state digital currency. "The possibility of issuing a CBDC is still being explored, and the digital shekel report presented last month was more about getting feedback from the public. But I can say that the country's banks will always play an important role in the financial and payment systems, " Abir said. Despite the willingness to integrate the digital shekel, Abir's attitude to bitcoin is completely different: "We are talking about a payment system. Bitcoin is not a currency or a payment system. At best, it can be called a financial asset, and at worst, a fraudulent pyramid scheme." #Cryptocurrency