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Mauritius mulls wrapping metaverse into financial services

While acknowledging the need for collaboration in reshaping the financial services to accommodate metaverse, the FSC Mauritius asked seven questions to the public.

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) of Mauritius started collecting feedback from industry stakeholders and the general public regarding the inclusion of metaverse within the financial services industry.

The FSC Mauritius dedicated the entire month of November to amass comments on the strategic developments and repercussions of the metaverse, a recent consultation paper, “Reshaping the financial services sector,” showed.

Mauritius intends “to ensure that the regulatory and business environments in Mauritius are appropriately ready and re-engineered” as metaverse adoption continues to amplify on a global scale. FSC Mauritius highlighted metaverse-centric efforts from offshore regulators from the European Commission, the UK, Dubai, Indonesia, China, South Korea and Singapore and how they have made significant efforts to accommodate the new technology.

“As the nations across different continents increasingly continue to take steps forward, a future can be anticipated whereby the metaverse will transform into a space that not only unleashes boundless imagination, but also upholds fundamental values of consumer protection and individual empowerment.”

While acknowledging the need for collaboration in reshaping the financial services to accommodate metaverse, the FSC Mauritius asked seven questions to the public, as shown below:

FSC Mauritius asks 7 metaverse-related questions to stakeholders and the general public. Source: fscmauritius.org

Respondents are expected to share their opinions on the relevant questions by Nov. 30. The comments and feedback will be considered to establish a multidisciplinary working group to further address the future policy and regulatory orientations in relation to the metaverse.

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Mauritius is also expected to launch the pilot phase of a digital rupee in November 2023. However, an official release is still pending.

On April 28, the governor of the Bank of Mauritius, Harvesh Kumar Seegolam, said he prioritized CBDC development when he took office in 2020:

“As a central banker, I need not stress upon the determining role that CBDCs can play, not only in protecting monetary sovereignty but also in assisting central banks and regulatory authorities on the front of AML/CFT [Anti-Money Laundering/Combatting the Financing of Terrorism].”

Seegolam said the Bank of Mauritius “is contemplating” launching a digital rupee pilot phase in November.

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Mauritius planning to launch pilot project for retail digital rupee late this year

The governor of the Bank of Mauritius told a meeting of central bank technologists about the development of the island nation’s CBDC ambitions.

Mauritius plans to launch the pilot phase of a digital rupee in November, Bank of Mauritius governor Harvesh Kumar Seegolam announced. Many of the parameters of the perspective central bank digital currency (CBDC) are already in place.

Speaking at the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Community of Central Bank Technologists meeting held on the main island, Seegolam said he prioritized CBDC development when he took office in 2020:

“As a central banker, I need not stress upon the determining role that CBDCs can play, not only in protecting monetary sovereignty but also in assisting central banks and regulatory authorities on the front of AML/CFT [Anti-Money Laundering/Combatting the Financing of Terrorism].”

Consultations with International Monetary Fund (IMF) experts began the same year and resulted in the production of a feasibility report. According to Seegolam, Mauritius was the first country to benefit from IMF technical assistance with its CBDC project.

Related: IMF offers Jordan’s central bank recommendations for implementing retail CBDC

The Bank of Mauritius set up a sandbox with an unnamed partner in December to explore potential features and “craft the Digital rupee based on the Mauritian specificities.”

The digital rupee should be “a payment instrument to be made available to one and all” that will be intermediated to “ensure that commercial banks continue to be fully-involved in our CBDC journey.” It will also make monetary policy easier to manage and support financial stability, Seegolam said. The digital rupee will be interest free.

Seegolam said the Bank of Mauritius “is contemplating” launching a digital rupee pilot phase in November. Phase 2 of the project will be the development of its use in cross-border transactions, he added.

Mauritius has been gradually adopting blockchain technology for several years. The country regulated digital asset custody licensing and security token offerings in 2019. It was at one time seen as an emerging hub for the technology.

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