Local Media: Afghanistani, Tunisian Central Banks Consider Issuing Bitcoin Bonds

Afghanistan and Tunisia’s central banks are looking to issue a bitcoin (BTC) bond, Hong Kong-based news outlet Asia Times reports on April 17.

Per the report, the governors of the two country’s central banks spoke at the annual Spring Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington between April 8 and 14. Afghanistan’s central bank governor Khalil Sediq allegedly told Asia Times that the institution is considering issuing a sovereign crypto bond to raise $5.8 billion.

The funds would be used for private-sector investment in mining, energy and agriculture. Alongside bitcoin, Sediq reportedly mentioned metal futures (for instance lithium) and pointed out that the country’s mineral reserves are estimated to be worth over $3 trillion.

On the other hand, Marouane El Abassi, governor of Tunisia’s central bank and former World Bank official, purportedly declared that the institution is looking into the issuance of a bitcoin bond. According to the report, Abassi also claimed that the country was one of the first to issue a digital currency and already implemented payments through a digital system.

Furthermore, Abassi also reportedly lauded bitcoin, blockchain and Hyperledger as a tool for central banks to combat money laundering, manage remittances fight terrorism and limit grey economies. Lastly, the article also notes that Uzbek ambassador Javlon Vakhabov mentioned that Uzbekistan does not rule out the development of a bitcoin bond either.

As Cointelegraph reported in September last year, Austria’s government also launched €1.15 billion ($1.35 billion) of government bonds on the Ethereum (ETH) public blockchain.

More recently, in March, Germany’s justice and finance ministries have proposed to launch a state-run register to boost the use of blockchain for electronic bonds.