Tunisia CBDC Tracker

Tunisia is currently in the pilot phase of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) development. The Banque Centrale de Tunisie partnered with the Banque de France to conduct a CBDC trial in 2021.

Current human rights and civil liberties concerns in Tunisia include oppression and corruption. For example, Amnesty International reported that “Judicial authorities investigated or prosecuted at least 32 high-profile critics and perceived opponents of the president for exercising their right to freedom of expression.” A CBDC could be used as another tool in this effort. Across the world, governments have often turned to freezing and seizing the money of activists, political rivals, and protestors to undermine the opposition. A CBDC would make such initiatives easier by allowing governments to take direct control of each citizen’s finances.

CBDC History and Development

In 2019, news spread that Tunisia had launched a CBDC. However, the Banque Centrale de Tunisie quickly denied these claims in an official press release. Although the central bank is “examining” CBDCs, it said it was only at a research stage. The news that it was launching a CBDC was a miscommunication regarding an event where a private company showcased a proof-of-concept for a CBDC.

In 2021, the Banque Centrale de Tunisie partnered with the Banque de France to conduct a CBDC trial. The trial was designed to test cross-border transactions where a wire transfer sent between France and Tunisia was settled with a wholesale CBDC. Banque Centrale de Tunisie official Mohamed Sadraoui said the experiment is “an opportunity for opening reflections on the deployment of alternative channels of cross-border transfers initiated by the Tunisian diaspora in Europe to Tunisia” and “the platform subject to experimentation using CBDC is likely to enhance transparency, speed and cost savings, all of which are benefits favoring a better inclusion of this same diaspora.”

Human Rights and Civil Liberties Concerns

Tunisia earned a 56 out of 100 in Freedom House’s 2023 Freedom in the World report. As it stands, oppression and corruption are major issues for Tunisia. The issuance or adoption of a CBDC in Tunisia could worsen these issues.

According to Amnesty International, “Judicial authorities investigated or prosecuted at least 32 high-profile critics and perceived opponents of the president for exercising their right to freedom of expression.” Unfortunately, a CBDC could be used as another tool in this effort. Across the world, governments have often turned to freezing and seizing the money of activists, political rivals, and protestors to undermine the opposition. A CBDC would make such initiatives easier by allowing governments to take direct control of each citizen’s finances.

Government corruption is also a problem in Tunisia. According to Freedom House, “Tunisia’s anticorruption legislation has historically been considered weak.” Unfortunately, other efforts to combat corruption also appear to have been counterproductive. For example, “President Saïed justified his seizure of power in July 2021 in part by arguing that it was necessary to uproot corruption in the political establishment, but his administration’s subsequent steps led critics to accuse the president of instrumentalizing anticorruption efforts to eliminate his political enemies.” 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.