Former CFTC Chairman Says U.S. Exploring CBDC Infrastructure Despite Public Opposition

U.S. officials are exploring central bank digital currency infrastructure even as the administration maintains public opposition to a CBDC. Massad made the comments during an interview at the Digital Money Summit 2026 in London on Tuesday. He said the topic remains sensitive in Washington but is being considered internally.

International Projects and U.S. involvement in Project Agora, a Bank for International Settlements initiative that includes seven central banks. He said the work continues despite public statements against a CBDC. "We don’t have a central bank president who is going to get out there and speak about wholesale or retail CBDC, but that does not mean that we are not looking at how to create one," Massad said.

Gould, chief payments executive at the Federal Reserve, said a digital dollar is not currently under the Fed’s remit. When asked whether a government-backed digital dollar would fall to the Fed, he confirmed it would but added that it is not under consideration at present. U.S. to develop government-backed settlement rails for on-chain assets.