November 17-21, 2025

From November 17-21, 2025, the CICDC and the IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) jointly organized the second course on Cross-Border Payments in the Digital Age (CBPDA) in Shenzhen, following the first delivery of the course in May 2024. Highlighting a regional focus on Asia, the course was participated by 69 officials from 17 countries, including China, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Azerbaijan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam.

The G20 had made enhancing cross-border payments a priority. Faster, cheaper, more transparent and more inclusive cross-border payment services have the potential to be transformative for citizens and economies across the world. The Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments, launched in 2020, is the first attempt by the international community to address the challenges faced by cross-border payments in a holistic way. In this context, the course was organized to explore the evolving landscape of cross-border payments in the digital age and how it could be improved, and to address the impacts of emerging payment tools and technologies on traditional monetary policies and regulatory policies.

Led by Kieran Murphy, Carlos Brandt, and Clément Berthou from the MCM, the interactive one-week course combined in-person and virtual lectures, case study simulations, individual presentations, and panel discussions. The course also invited Giuseppe Bianco, Digital Economy Policy Analyst at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to present on OECD’s work on cross-border data flow, and Qi Shao, Regional Head of International Financial Public Affairs at Tencent, to present on the company’s technological advancements in the field of cross-border payments.