Central banks are beginning to explore how programmable blockchain tools could reshape the execution of monetary policy.
A recent pilot project, Project Pine, conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Innovation Center and the BIS Innovation Hub (Swiss Centre), demonstrates how smart contracts might offer more responsive and adaptable mechanisms in a digitized financial system.
Instead of relying on outdated, slow-moving infrastructure, the test simulated how blockchain-based tools could rapidly adjust monetary conditions in real time. In one scenario, smart contracts enabled near-instant changes to collateral requirements and interest rates, reacting within minutes to hypothetical market disruptions.
The prototype relied on Ethereum-based token standards and incorporated access controls to simulate a secure environment. While results were promising—highlighting flexibility and speed—researchers noted that most current financial systems aren’t yet equipped to handle this level of technological integration.
Beyond the test environment, interest in tokenization is growing rapidly. At Consensus 2025, DTCC Digital Assets’ Joseph Spiro emphasized stablecoins as ideal instruments for real-time financial operations like collateral transfers in derivatives markets.
While the technology is still experimental in the public sector, early findings suggest that programmable finance could become a crucial part of the monetary toolkit in the years ahead.
Tether is deepening its involvement in the tokenized gold space by introducing a new version of its gold-backed stablecoin—XAUt0—on The Open Network (TON).
Litecoin is taking a major leap into the world of DeFi and Web3 with the launch of LitVM, a newly introduced Layer-2 network designed to bring smart contract capabilities to the long-standing cryptocurrency.
Binance has announced its full technical support for an upcoming upgrade to the Siacoin (SC) blockchain, scheduled for June 6, 2025.
MetaMask is making a major leap beyond Ethereum by adding support for Solana, marking its first deep integration with a non-EVM blockchain.