Course Introduction
The Central Bank Digital Currency Pilot Project Management Course provides a comprehensive framework for planning, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating pilot projects involving central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). A CBDC is a digital form of central bank money that represents a direct liability of the central bank, designed to complement or, depending on the policy approach, potentially coexist with physical cash and other forms of money. CBDC pilots enable central banks and participating institutions to test technology architectures, monetary policy implications, payment capabilities, user experiences, and operational arrangements before considering broader implementation. This course equips participants with structured project management knowledge to coordinate complex CBDC pilot initiatives while maintaining alignment with financial stability objectives, public policy priorities, and institutional mandates.
Planning a CBDC pilot requires collaboration among central banks, commercial banks, payment service providers, financial regulators, technology vendors, cybersecurity teams, legal advisors, and potential users. Each stakeholder contributes different requirements relating to monetary operations, payment processing, digital identity, financial inclusion, privacy, compliance, and technology infrastructure. Project managers must translate these diverse expectations into a coherent implementation plan with defined scope, deliverables, timelines, responsibilities, budgets, and governance arrangements. This course explores project initiation, stakeholder mapping, feasibility assessments, pilot design, dependency management, and decision-making frameworks. Participants will learn how to establish clear objectives, define the pilot population and use cases, manage institutional coordination, and ensure that project activities support measurable learning outcomes rather than prematurely committing to nationwide deployment.
CBDC pilot projects involve important architectural decisions concerning digital currency issuance, distribution, wallet management, transaction processing, settlement, and integration with existing payment infrastructure. Depending on the chosen design, a pilot may explore account-based or token-based arrangements, direct or intermediated distribution models, and centralized or distributed ledger technologies. Project teams must evaluate these alternatives against requirements for scalability, resilience, interoperability, privacy, security, and operational control. This course examines how project managers can coordinate architecture assessments, technical requirements gathering, vendor engagement, integration planning, testing environments, and system readiness reviews. Participants will also investigate connectivity with existing payment systems, merchant acceptance infrastructure, digital wallets, banking applications, and identity verification services while considering the limitations and trade-offs associated with different technology choices.
Security, privacy, financial integrity, and regulatory compliance are essential considerations throughout the CBDC pilot lifecycle. Digital currency systems can introduce risks involving unauthorized access, identity fraud, cyberattacks, transaction manipulation, operational outages, data exposure, and vulnerabilities in participating service providers. A pilot must therefore incorporate risk assessments, access controls, cryptographic safeguards, secure key management, transaction monitoring, auditability, incident response, and business continuity planning. Project managers must also coordinate legal reviews covering applicable central banking mandates, payment regulations, data protection requirements, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing obligations, and consumer protection considerations. This course explores how to embed these controls into project plans, testing strategies, operational procedures, and governance frameworks while balancing legitimate supervisory needs with appropriate privacy protections and public confidence.
A successful CBDC pilot also depends on realistic budgeting, disciplined procurement, controlled experimentation, and effective change management. Costs may include platform development, technology licensing, cybersecurity assessments, integration services, hardware, cloud or data centre infrastructure, wallet development, user research, independent testing, staff training, and ongoing technical support. Participants will examine approaches to preparing business cases, estimating total pilot costs, evaluating technology providers, managing contracts, allocating resources, and controlling scope changes. The course also covers pilot participant recruitment, communication strategies, merchant engagement, staff readiness, and user support arrangements. Particular attention is given to designing controlled experiments with clearly defined participation criteria, transaction limits where appropriate, escalation procedures, and safeguards that allow the project team to learn from implementation without exposing participants or the financial system to unnecessary risks.
Evaluation and knowledge transfer are critical outcomes of every CBDC pilot. Before launch, project teams should define hypotheses, baseline measurements, success criteria, testing scenarios, data collection procedures, and decision gates that determine whether the pilot should be extended, redesigned, paused, or concluded. Relevant evaluation areas may include transaction reliability, settlement performance, user adoption, accessibility, privacy perceptions, operational costs, fraud controls, resilience, and interoperability with existing financial services. This course examines performance monitoring, benefits realization, incident analysis, independent assurance, post-pilot reviews, and reporting to institutional leadership and other authorized stakeholders. Participants will also consider emerging issues such as offline payments, cross-border CBDC arrangements, programmable payment features, tokenized financial assets, and privacy-enhancing technologies. By the end of the course, participants will be better prepared to manage CBDC pilot projects that generate credible evidence, protect participants, support responsible innovation, and inform sound decisions about future digital currency development.
Duration
5 days
Who Should Attend
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Central bank project managers responsible for planning, coordinating, and evaluating CBDC pilots, digital currency research initiatives, and experimental payment infrastructure projects.
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Central bank policy officers involved in assessing digital currency design options, monetary policy considerations, financial stability implications, and potential impacts on existing payment systems.
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Digital currency program coordinators overseeing feasibility studies, pilot preparation, stakeholder engagement, technical development, implementation schedules, and project governance.
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Payment systems managers responsible for evaluating CBDC integration with national payment switches, real-time payment platforms, settlement systems, and merchant payment infrastructure.
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Banking technology managers coordinating integration between CBDC platforms, commercial banking applications, digital wallets, account services, and existing financial technology environments.
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Financial regulators and supervisory professionals involved in evaluating CBDC operational risks, participant safeguards, compliance requirements, and the implications of digital currency experimentation.
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Cybersecurity professionals responsible for assessing CBDC platform security, cryptographic controls, digital wallet protection, identity management, threat monitoring, and incident response.
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Legal advisors and compliance officers examining central bank mandates, payment system legislation, data protection requirements, consumer safeguards, and applicable financial crime controls.
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Technology architects and software engineers involved in evaluating distributed ledger platforms, centralized architectures, transaction processing systems, wallet applications, and CBDC integration interfaces.
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Procurement specialists and contract managers responsible for technology sourcing, vendor evaluation, platform licensing, implementation agreements, independent testing, and service-level arrangements.
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Risk management professionals assessing cybersecurity exposure, operational resilience, third-party dependencies, fraud risks, technology failure, and reputational risks associated with CBDC pilots.
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Financial analysts and project finance professionals preparing pilot budgets, evaluating lifecycle costs, monitoring expenditure, and assessing the financial implications of alternative implementation approaches.
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Research and innovation specialists responsible for developing pilot hypotheses, designing controlled experiments, collecting evidence, and evaluating CBDC performance against defined objectives.
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Digital identity and data governance specialists involved in identity verification, participant onboarding, privacy safeguards, access management, and responsible handling of sensitive transaction information.
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Monitoring and evaluation professionals responsible for defining success indicators, tracking pilot performance, documenting implementation lessons, and preparing evidence-based evaluation reports.
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Commercial bank representatives and payment service provider managers participating in CBDC distribution, wallet integration, transaction processing, settlement, and customer support activities.
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Financial inclusion specialists and consumer protection professionals assessing accessibility, digital literacy, user experience, vulnerable participant needs, and potential barriers to CBDC adoption.
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Consultants, development partners, and financial technology advisors supporting central banks and public institutions with CBDC research, pilot planning, technical assessments, and digital payment modernization.
Course Objectives
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Explain the purpose, operating principles, design models, and potential applications of central bank digital currencies, distinguishing CBDCs from commercial bank deposits, electronic money, and privately issued cryptocurrencies.
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Develop structured CBDC pilot project plans covering objectives, scope, use cases, deliverables, milestones, resources, budgets, dependencies, governance arrangements, and implementation acceptance criteria.
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Assess alternative CBDC design approaches, including account-based and token-based models, direct and intermediated distribution, and centralized or distributed ledger architectures.
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Establish effective project governance and stakeholder coordination frameworks involving central banks, commercial banks, regulators, technology providers, payment operators, and pilot participants.
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Integrate cybersecurity, privacy, digital identity, cryptographic key management, operational resilience, financial integrity, and regulatory compliance requirements into pilot planning.
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Coordinate platform procurement, architecture design, software development, system integration, wallet configuration, payment connectivity, testing, and technical readiness activities.
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Apply financial planning, cost estimation, resource allocation, vendor evaluation, contract management, and change control techniques to support transparent and accountable pilot expenditure.
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Design pilot evaluation frameworks with clearly defined hypotheses, baseline measurements, success indicators, testing scenarios, data collection procedures, and evidence-based decision gates.
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Develop participant engagement, communication, training, onboarding, support, and change management strategies that improve readiness and encourage safe, informed participation.
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Prepare post-pilot evaluation and sustainability plans covering operational performance, participant feedback, lessons learned, risk outcomes, policy implications, and recommendations for subsequent project phases.
Comprehensive Course Outline
Module 1: Central Bank Digital Currency Fundamentals and Pilot Context
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Definition and core characteristics of CBDCs, including their status as central bank liabilities and their distinction from commercial bank deposits, electronic money, and privately issued digital assets.
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Overview of retail and wholesale CBDCs, their potential applications, target users, transaction environments, and differing implications for public payments and financial market infrastructure.
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Examination of CBDC motivations, including payment modernization, financial inclusion, payment system resilience, public access to central bank money, and potential cross-border efficiency improvements.
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Assessment of international CBDC developments, policy research approaches, pilot case studies, institutional readiness, and lessons that can inform project planning without assuming universal suitability.
Module 2: Pilot Project Initiation, Governance, and Strategic Planning
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Development of project charters, business cases, feasibility studies, strategic objectives, expected outcomes, project assumptions, constraints, and institutional approval requirements.
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Definition of pilot scope, participant categories, target use cases, transaction types, geographic boundaries, testing periods, deliverables, and measurable acceptance criteria.
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Establishment of governance structures, steering committees, technical working groups, decision rights, escalation procedures, reporting arrangements, and stakeholder accountability.
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Preparation of project schedules, work breakdown structures, resource plans, dependency registers, responsibility matrices, risk registers, and implementation milestones.
Module 3: CBDC Design Options and Technical Architecture
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Evaluation of account-based and token-based CBDC approaches, including transaction authorization, identity requirements, balance management, and relevant design trade-offs.
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Comparison of direct, intermediated, and hybrid distribution models, including the responsibilities of central banks, commercial banks, payment providers, and other authorized intermediaries.
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Assessment of centralized databases, distributed ledger technologies, consensus mechanisms, transaction processing architectures, platform scalability, and infrastructure requirements.
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Planning of integration with banking systems, payment switches, digital wallets, merchant terminals, identity services, and existing financial market infrastructure.
Module 4: Digital Wallets, Identity, and Transaction Management
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Planning of CBDC wallet functionality, participant onboarding, authentication, balance display, transaction initiation, payment confirmation, and user account recovery procedures.
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Evaluation of digital identity options, identity assurance requirements, participant verification, privacy considerations, access management, and applicable customer due diligence obligations.
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Definition of transaction lifecycles, payment authorization, validation, settlement, reversals, refunds, transaction limits, exception handling, and reconciliation processes.
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Assessment of offline payment approaches, device security, synchronization challenges, double-spending risks, transaction recovery, and appropriate safeguards for limited-connectivity environments.
Module 5: Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Regulatory Compliance
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Identification of cybersecurity threats involving digital wallets, platform infrastructure, cryptographic keys, transaction interfaces, third-party systems, and privileged administrative access.
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Planning of encryption, secure key storage, key rotation, access controls, audit logging, vulnerability testing, threat monitoring, and incident response arrangements.
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Assessment of applicable central banking legislation, payment regulations, data protection requirements, consumer protection rules, financial crime controls, and institutional compliance obligations.
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Development of privacy governance, data minimization, information retention, transaction confidentiality, authorized supervisory access, security assurance, and responsible data-sharing procedures.
Module 6: Procurement, Budgeting, and Vendor Management
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Preparation of technical specifications, requests for proposals, procurement strategies, evaluation criteria, due diligence requirements, and technology supplier selection procedures.
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Estimation of project costs covering software development, platform licensing, infrastructure, cybersecurity, integration, testing, participant support, training, and independent assurance.
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Evaluation of vendor capabilities, interoperability, security maturity, scalability, implementation experience, support commitments, technology portability, and long-term dependency risks.
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Management of contracts, service-level agreements, deliverable acceptance, licensing conditions, intellectual property, milestone payments, supplier performance, and procurement changes.
Module 7: Testing, Integration, and Operational Readiness
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Development of test strategies covering functional behavior, transaction accuracy, settlement processing, interoperability, wallet performance, identity verification, and system integration.
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Planning of performance, load, resilience, cybersecurity, usability, recovery, and accessibility testing under realistic and controlled pilot conditions.
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Coordination of defect tracking, corrective actions, regression testing, independent assurance, evidence documentation, acceptance reviews, and formal readiness approvals.
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Preparation of operational procedures for service monitoring, participant support, transaction reconciliation, incident escalation, platform maintenance, and business continuity.
Module 8: Pilot Deployment, Participant Engagement, and Change Management
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Development of deployment strategies covering controlled pilots, phased rollout, participant enrollment, merchant onboarding, wallet distribution, technical cutover, and operational handover.
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Design of participant communication, informed participation procedures, user education, staff training, helpdesk services, complaint handling, and feedback collection mechanisms.
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Establishment of pilot safeguards, including appropriate transaction limits, eligibility criteria, monitoring arrangements, contingency procedures, and clear communication about pilot limitations.
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Coordination of rollout decisions, go-live checklists, incident triage, rollback planning, stakeholder updates, operational support, and escalation arrangements during live testing.
Module 9: Emerging CBDC Developments and Cross-Border Applications
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Evaluation of wholesale CBDC applications for interbank settlement, tokenized asset settlement, financial market infrastructure, and potential improvements in institutional payment processes.
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Examination of cross-border CBDC experiments, interoperability challenges, foreign exchange settlement, jurisdictional coordination, and the operational implications of multi-currency arrangements.
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Assessment of programmable payment features, smart contracts, conditional transactions, tokenized deposits, and the distinction between payment automation and monetary policy design.
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Exploration of emerging approaches such as privacy-enhancing technologies, offline-capable systems, new cryptographic techniques, and resilience measures for evolving digital currency environments.
Module 10: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Post-Pilot Decision-Making
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Development of evaluation frameworks measuring transaction success rates, settlement performance, platform availability, processing latency, security incidents, and operational reliability.
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Assessment of participant adoption, accessibility, user satisfaction, merchant acceptance, digital literacy, privacy perceptions, and barriers affecting different user groups.
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Analysis of pilot expenditure, operational costs, system scalability, financial inclusion outcomes, interoperability, risk exposure, and progress toward approved project objectives.
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Preparation of final evaluation reports, lessons learned, recommendations, risk assessments, decision gates, and evidence-based options for concluding, extending, redesigning, or expanding the pilot.
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.
