The tests of the digital summer of the real, called Real Digital, should start in 2023, according to the economist of the Central Bank (BC), Fábio Araújo. According to him, the initial schedule foresaw the first pilots in 2022, but the strike by Central Bank employees delayed the schedule. 
“We had the intention of starting the pilots [testes] maybe even at the end of this year, but the strike greatly delayed the schedule. Anyway, in 2023 and, for a good part of 2024, we will have the pilots running and the conditions to be sure of the launch of the digital currency in the second half of 2024”, said Araújo in a virtual debate on the topic, promoted by Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban), tonight (30).
In 2021, the Central Bank announced that it was developing Real Digital, a digital currency that is expected to function as an extension of the physical currency. Unlike cryptocurrencies, Real Digital will be guaranteed by the BC and will bring the possibility of using new technologies, such as smart contracts (smart contracts), payment in other countries, and use in the Internet of Things (IoT).
According to the BC, people interested in using Real Digital must obtain a virtual wallet from an agent authorized by the Central Bank – such as a bank or a payment institution. The initial version of the digital currency will be an additional option to the use of conventional banknotes, and can be converted to any other form of payment available today – such as a conventional bank deposit or in physical reais.
