Course Introduction
The Central Bank Digital Currency Pilot Evaluation Training Course equips participants with the analytical, technical, and policy skills required to evaluate central bank digital currency pilots systematically. As central banks explore digital forms of sovereign money, pilot programmes provide opportunities to test design assumptions, assess operational readiness, understand user behaviour, and identify risks before decisions are made about broader implementation. Effective evaluation requires a structured approach that links the original policy objectives to measurable performance indicators, reliable evidence, documented findings, and clearly defined decision criteria. This course provides a practical framework for assessing whether a CBDC pilot meets its intended objectives and what improvements or additional testing may be necessary.
Central bank digital currency pilots can involve different objectives, including improving payment efficiency, expanding financial inclusion, strengthening payment resilience, supporting innovation, improving settlement processes, or exploring new forms of domestic and cross-border payments. Retail CBDC pilots may examine wallet usability, merchant acceptance, onboarding, transaction speed, accessibility, and consumer trust. Wholesale CBDC pilots may focus on interbank settlement, tokenised asset transactions, liquidity management, delivery-versus-payment processes, and integration with existing financial market infrastructure. Participants will learn to distinguish these use cases and design evaluation frameworks appropriate to the pilot’s purpose, architecture, participants, and stage of development.
A major component of the training focuses on establishing a credible results framework before pilot activities begin. Participants will learn to formulate evaluation questions, construct logic models, define baselines, select indicators, establish performance targets, and identify the evidence required to assess success or failure. The course covers technical performance, operational reliability, transaction costs, settlement efficiency, user adoption, interoperability, accessibility, privacy, cybersecurity, financial integrity, and stakeholder readiness. It also examines how to distinguish successful demonstration of a technical feature from evidence that the feature solves a genuine policy or market problem. This distinction helps central banks avoid drawing conclusions that extend beyond the scope and limitations of a pilot.
The course explores practical methods for collecting and analysing evidence throughout the pilot lifecycle. Participants will examine transaction logs, system performance records, user surveys, merchant interviews, participant feedback, incident reports, cost data, operational observations, and controlled test results. They will learn to assess data completeness, establish evaluation baselines, analyse performance trends, compare results across use cases, and triangulate quantitative and qualitative findings. Where feasible, participants will consider comparison groups, pre-pilot measurements, scenario testing, and sensitivity analysis. The training also addresses common evaluation challenges, including small participant samples, limited pilot duration, simulated rather than live transactions, selection bias, evolving system configurations, and difficulties separating pilot effects from external influences.
Risk evaluation and governance are essential when testing a digital form of central bank money. Participants will examine cybersecurity, operational resilience, privacy and data protection, fraud, anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing controls, legal enforceability, third-party dependencies, and potential effects on financial institutions and payment market competition. They will learn to evaluate whether risk controls operate effectively under normal conditions, exceptional scenarios, and system disruptions. The programme also considers adoption barriers, digital literacy, device and connectivity constraints, accessibility for underserved users, and the potential implications of different wallet, holding-limit, offline-payment, and intermediary arrangements. These considerations help ensure that technical achievements are assessed alongside wider policy, institutional, and societal implications.
By the end of the Central Bank Digital Currency Pilot Evaluation Training Course, participants will be prepared to produce structured evaluation reports that explain what was tested, what the evidence demonstrates, which risks remain unresolved, and what further work is needed. They will learn to translate findings into actionable recommendations, establish criteria for proceeding to another development phase, and communicate uncertainty to decision-makers and stakeholders. The course emphasizes that a pilot evaluation should support an evidence-based decision to proceed, redesign, extend testing, pause, or discontinue a particular approach, rather than assume that a successful pilot automatically justifies issuance. Participants will leave with practical tools for strengthening governance, accountability, resource allocation, and informed decision-making throughout the CBDC development process.
Duration
5 days
Who Should Attend
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Central bank officials responsible for CBDC research, pilot management, digital currency strategy, and policy development.
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Payment systems specialists evaluating transaction processing, settlement efficiency, resilience, and interoperability.
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Monetary policy analysts assessing potential CBDC implications for monetary operations and financial system structure.
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Financial stability specialists examining liquidity, deposit substitution, payment market dynamics, and broader systemic risks.
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Digital transformation and innovation teams managing CBDC prototypes, technology testing, and implementation readiness.
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Monitoring and evaluation professionals developing pilot results frameworks, indicators, baselines, and evaluation reports.
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Economists and policy researchers analysing the potential economic, social, and financial effects of CBDC initiatives.
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Information technology and systems architects responsible for CBDC platforms, integration, infrastructure, and performance testing.
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Cybersecurity and operational resilience specialists assessing threats, incident response, and continuity arrangements.
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Legal and regulatory professionals reviewing CBDC authority, liability, privacy, consumer protection, and compliance requirements.
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Financial inclusion practitioners evaluating accessibility, affordability, usability, and participation by underserved populations.
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Commercial bank and payment service provider representatives participating in CBDC pilot ecosystems.
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Financial market infrastructure specialists assessing wholesale CBDC and tokenised asset settlement use cases.
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Risk management and internal audit professionals reviewing pilot governance, controls, documentation, and assurance.
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Data analysts and researchers responsible for pilot data quality, statistical analysis, performance dashboards, and reporting.
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Development partners and technical assistance specialists supporting central bank digital currency research and experimentation.
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Project managers coordinating pilot milestones, stakeholder engagement, resource planning, and decision gates.
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Consumer research and public engagement professionals assessing user experience, trust, awareness, and adoption barriers.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
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Explain the purpose, scope, and limitations of CBDC pilots and distinguish technical proof-of-concept testing from live pilot evaluation and production readiness assessment.
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Develop an evaluation framework linking CBDC policy objectives, use cases, theory of change, evaluation questions, indicators, baselines, targets, and decision criteria.
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Select appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods for assessing technical performance, operational efficiency, user experience, adoption, inclusion, and stakeholder readiness.
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Evaluate transaction processing, settlement performance, system availability, interoperability, integration quality, scalability, and resilience using documented test evidence.
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Analyse participant feedback, transaction records, system logs, cost information, and operational observations to identify performance gaps and implementation lessons.
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Assess cybersecurity, privacy, financial integrity, legal, operational, and third-party risks using structured risk indicators, scenario testing, and control effectiveness reviews.
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Examine the implications of CBDC design choices for financial inclusion, consumer accessibility, payment market competition, financial institutions, and monetary policy.
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Identify evaluation limitations arising from sample size, pilot duration, participant selection, simulated activity, incomplete data, and changing technical configurations.
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Prepare evidence-based pilot evaluation reports, performance dashboards, risk registers, and recommendations that support accountable decision-making.
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Establish practical go/no-go criteria and follow-up actions for continuing, redesigning, expanding, pausing, or discontinuing a CBDC development or pilot initiative.
Comprehensive Course Outline
Module 1: Foundations of CBDC Pilots and Evaluation
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Understanding retail and wholesale CBDCs, their policy motivations, operating models, and differences from commercial bank deposits and cryptoassets.
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Distinguishing research, proof of concept, prototype development, live pilot testing, and production implementation within the CBDC lifecycle.
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Identifying pilot stakeholders, including central banks, financial institutions, payment providers, technology vendors, merchants, users, and regulators.
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Establishing evaluation principles covering relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, operational feasibility, risk management, inclusion, and sustainability.
Module 2: Evaluation Frameworks, Objectives, and Indicators
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Translating CBDC policy objectives and intended use cases into evaluation questions, expected results, and measurable performance indicators.
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Developing logic models that connect pilot inputs, technical activities, service outputs, participant outcomes, and broader intended benefits.
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Defining indicator reference sheets, baseline requirements, targets, data sources, calculation methods, responsibilities, and reporting frequencies.
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Establishing evaluation governance, evidence standards, milestone reviews, decision gates, and transparent criteria for interpreting pilot results.
Module 3: CBDC Architecture and Technical Performance Evaluation
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Assessing platform architecture, ledger design, wallet arrangements, transaction processing, identity management, and integration with existing payment systems.
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Measuring transaction throughput, latency, successful completion rates, system availability, error rates, recovery time, and processing capacity.
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Evaluating interoperability between CBDC platforms, payment service providers, banks, merchant systems, and relevant domestic or cross-border infrastructure.
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Reviewing scalability, resilience, offline functionality where applicable, technical dependencies, system limitations, and readiness for higher transaction volumes.
Module 4: Operational Effectiveness and User Experience
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Evaluating onboarding, wallet activation, funding, payment initiation, settlement confirmation, redemption, refunds, and customer support processes.
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Measuring user satisfaction, task completion, usability, accessibility, merchant acceptance, repeat usage, and barriers to continued participation.
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Analysing operational workflows, reconciliation procedures, exception handling, incident escalation, and responsibilities across participating institutions.
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Comparing planned operating procedures with actual pilot experience to identify bottlenecks, service gaps, training needs, and process improvements.
Module 5: Data Collection, Management, and Analytical Methods
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Designing data collection plans covering transaction logs, system metrics, surveys, interviews, focus groups, test results, and operational incident records.
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Establishing data dictionaries, validation rules, unique identifiers, quality controls, access permissions, and secure retention procedures.
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Applying descriptive statistics, trend analysis, segmentation, qualitative coding, comparative analysis, and triangulation to assess pilot results.
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Documenting missing data, sample limitations, measurement uncertainty, changing system configurations, and assumptions affecting the reliability of conclusions.
Module 6: Financial Inclusion, Adoption, and Stakeholder Outcomes
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Assessing whether the pilot reaches intended user groups, including underserved communities, small merchants, people with disabilities, and users with limited connectivity.
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Examining adoption barriers related to trust, awareness, digital literacy, device access, onboarding requirements, incentives, and existing payment alternatives.
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Evaluating merchant participation, provider readiness, ecosystem coordination, network effects, and the practical value of CBDC for intended use cases.
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Analysing how design options, including wallet access, holding limits, intermediary arrangements, and offline capabilities, influence accessibility and participation.
Module 7: Risk, Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Compliance Evaluation
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Assessing cybersecurity controls, identity and access management, fraud prevention, threat monitoring, incident response, and recovery arrangements.
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Evaluating privacy protections, personal data handling, consent and transparency practices, data minimization, and accountability for information use.
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Reviewing anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing controls, sanctions compliance, transaction monitoring, and applicable legal requirements.
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Conducting risk scenario analysis covering outages, cyberattacks, third-party failures, operational errors, data breaches, and other material disruptions.
Module 8: Economic, Financial System, and Policy Implications
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Evaluating pilot evidence on payment costs, transaction efficiency, settlement processes, liquidity requirements, and potential operational savings.
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Examining possible interactions with commercial bank deposits, payment providers, financial intermediation, market competition, and financial stability.
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Assessing wholesale CBDC use cases involving interbank settlement, tokenised assets, delivery-versus-payment, and integration with financial market infrastructure.
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Distinguishing observed pilot outcomes from broader macroeconomic effects that require additional modelling, longer observation periods, or separate policy analysis.
Module 9: Reporting, Validation, and Decision-Making
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Preparing evaluation reports that summarize objectives, methodology, performance findings, limitations, risks, lessons learned, and recommendations.
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Validating findings through independent review, stakeholder consultation, reproducibility checks, evidence triangulation, and documented quality assurance.
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Establishing decision criteria for proceeding, redesigning, extending, pausing, or discontinuing a pilot based on policy relevance and evidence quality.
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Communicating findings to central bank leadership, participating institutions, public authorities, technical partners, and other stakeholders with appropriate transparency.
Module 10: Practical CBDC Pilot Evaluation and Implementation Planning
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Developing an evaluation matrix for a selected retail or wholesale CBDC pilot, including objectives, indicators, data sources, responsibilities, and decision thresholds.
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Analysing a simulated dataset containing transaction performance, user feedback, incidents, operational costs, and adoption information.
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Producing a pilot scorecard, risk assessment, findings summary, and prioritized recommendations supported by documented evidence.
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Preparing a follow-up roadmap covering additional testing, risk mitigation, stakeholder coordination, resource requirements, and post-pilot evaluation milestones.
Training Approach
This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.
Tailor-Made Course
This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808
Training Venue
The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.
Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant
Certification
Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.
Airport Pickup and Accommodation
Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808
Terms of Payment:
Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.
