Bhutan CBDC Tracker

CBDC Information

CBDC Status

Experiment

Economic Information

GDP

$3,012,896,789

Population

791,524

Regime Information

Rule Of Law

7.16/10

Freedom Rankings

Cato and Fraser Human Freedom Index:

7.17/10

Freedom House Index:

6.3/10

Reporters Without Borders Freedom Index:

N/A

Bhutan is in the experimental phase of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) development. The Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan announced that it is piloting a CBDC with Ripple Labs.

Human Rights and Civil Liberties Concerns

In Bhutan, there have been reports of issues around the treatment of human rights and civil liberties, but most of those issues do not tie directly into the issuance or use of a CBDC. Even then, however, it’s important to recognize that the creation of a CBDC could open the door to risks to financial privacy and financial freedom.

For additional information on concerns regarding violations of human rights and civil liberties, see the following reports by Amnesty International, Financial Tyranny Index, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Privacy International, the Tyranny Tracker, and the U.S. Department of State. For additional information on concerns regarding the risks of CBDCs, see the following webpage and report by the Cato Institute: The Risks of CBDCs and Central Bank Digital Currency: Assessing the Risks and Dispelling the Myths.

For additional information regarding metrics, the methodology page explains each of the data points and provides their respective sources.

Bhutan - CBDC Tracker