Brazil's central bank digital currency, Drex, will forgo blockchain technology for a 2026 launch.

Brazil’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), Drex, will forgo most tokenization and blockchain technology, with a planned launch date of 2026. Fabio Araujo, the central bank’s Drex project coordinator, confirmed the change, stating that the new proposal will be implemented in two phases: the first phase, expected to launch next year, will not include decentralized elements; the second phase will continue to implement and refine blockchain technology.