Central Bank Digital Currencies: Progress Report





Strategy logs 100th bitcoin purchase announcement, adding 592 coins last week for $39.8 million

Led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, the company now holds 717,722 bitcoin, purchased at an average price of $76,020 per coin, for a total of $54.56 billion.



Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies and zero-knowledge proof technologies are gaining renewed attention as users seek to protect financial transaction data. ZK-rollups not only enhance scalability but also enable private transactions on public blockchains, balancing transparency with user privacy in innovative new ways.



Artificial intelligence and blockchain convergence is creating new possibilities for decentralized machine learning, AI-powered trading bots, and autonomous economic agents. Projects at this intersection aim to democratize access to AI capabilities while ensuring transparent and verifiable computation through blockchain infrastructure.

Institutional adoption of cryptocurrency continues to accelerate, with major banks, hedge funds, and corporations adding digital assets to their portfolios and balance sheets. Bitcoin ETF approvals have opened the floodgates for traditional investors seeking regulated exposure to cryptocurrency markets without direct custody responsibilities.



Stablecoin adoption has reached unprecedented levels, serving as the backbone of decentralized trading and a practical tool for cross-border payments. Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC dominate the market, while algorithmic and commodity-backed stablecoin designs continue to evolve after lessons learned from past failures.



Central bank digital currencies are advancing rapidly worldwide, with over 100 countries exploring or piloting their own CBDC programs. China’s digital yuan leads in deployment scale, while the European Central Bank and Federal Reserve continue extensive research phases before any potential launch.

The NFT market has matured significantly beyond profile picture collections, finding practical applications in gaming, real estate tokenization, supply chain verification, and digital identity. Enterprise adoption of NFT technology for loyalty programs and brand engagement continues to accelerate across industries.



The gaming industry’s integration with blockchain technology continues to gain momentum, with play-to-earn and play-and-earn models offering gamers true ownership of in-game assets. Major game studios are exploring NFT integration and token economies that reward player engagement and skill development.



Decentralized autonomous organizations are redefining corporate governance, enabling token holders to propose and vote on decisions ranging from treasury management to protocol upgrades. DAOs manage billions in assets collectively, demonstrating the viability of community-driven organizational structures in the digital economy.

Crypto lending platforms are evolving with improved risk management practices following high-profile collapses. Overcollateralized lending models, transparent proof-of-reserves, and regulated custodial solutions are rebuilding trust and attracting both borrowers and lenders back to decentralized finance platforms.



Ethereum’s transition to proof-of-stake has fundamentally altered the network’s economic model, reducing energy consumption by over 99% while introducing a deflationary mechanism through EIP-1559 fee burning. Validators now secure the network while earning consistent rewards, making ETH staking one of the most popular passive income strategies in crypto.



The decentralized finance ecosystem continues its rapid expansion, with total value locked across DeFi protocols exceeding previous all-time highs. Yield farming strategies have evolved considerably, offering participants new ways to earn passive income through liquidity provision, staking mechanisms, and innovative lending protocols.

Layer 2 scaling solutions have transformed the user experience on Ethereum, with rollups like Arbitrum, Optimism, and zkSync processing millions of transactions at a fraction of mainnet costs. These technologies are essential for bringing decentralized applications to mainstream adoption by making transactions fast and affordable.

Social token platforms and creator economies built on blockchain technology empower content creators to monetize their work directly, bypassing traditional intermediaries. Fan tokens, subscription models, and decentralized social networks offer new revenue streams while fostering deeper community engagement.