Liberia CBDC Tracker

Liberia is in the research phase of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) development. In its 2025-2029 Strategic Plan, the Central Bank of Liberia announced it would complete a CBDC feasibility study by 2029.

Current civil liberties and human rights concerns in Liberia include corruption. The existence of pervasive corruption is a major concern with CBDCs because it calls into question any promises that might be made by the government to limit surveillance, control, or other risks of CBDCs.

CBDC History and Development

In 2024, Liberian president Joseph Boakai met with the company Gluwa to discuss the possibility of building a CBDC for Liberia.

In its 2025-2029 Strategic Plan, the Central Bank of Liberia announced that it was “exploring Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to reduce cash dependency and expand access to secure digital financial services, especially for the underserved populations.” As part of that exploration, the central bank will “Conduct a detailed feasibility study to assess the potential impact of a CBDC on Liberia’s monetary policy, financial stability, and payment systems”; “Engage key stakeholders, including financial institutions, government bodies, and the public, to gather insights and address concerns surrounding the introduction of a CBDC”; and consider “launching a pilot CBDC program, initially targeting areas where traditional banking infrastructure is limited, to assess its viability in the Liberian context.” The Central Bank of Liberia plans to finish its feasibility study by 2029.

Human Rights and Civil Liberties Concerns

Liberia earned a 60 out of 100 in Freedom House’s 2023 Freedom in the World report. As Freedom House and others have warned, corruption is a major issue for Liberia. The issuance or adoption of a CBDC in Liberia could worsen this issue.

According to Freedom House, “Institutions exist to fight corruption [in Liberia], but they lack the resources, political independence, and capacity to function effectively.” The existence of pervasive corruption is a major concern with CBDCs because it calls into question any promises that might be made by the government to limit surveillance, control, or other risks of CBDCs. Furthermore, the existence of corruption calls into question whether CBDC policies might be designed to exert political favoritism through subsidies, price controls, or other targeted restrictions.

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, 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.