Status
LIVE
Bahamas
Bahamas Sand Dollar
According to Central Bank of The Bahamas disclosures and linked sources, this profile records status, architecture, and capability fields for Bahamas Sand Dollar.
Program Snapshot
Current status fields and timeline data from the profile record.
Type
RETAIL
Program classification
Wallets
133,481
As of 2024-12-31
Annual Volume
Not listed
high confidence
Status and Timeline
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Announced | 2018-01-01 |
| Pilot start | 2019-12-27 |
| Launch | 2020-10-20 |
| Last verified | 2026-04-18 |
Availability
- Retail
- live
- Wholesale
- none
Central Bank
Central Bank of The Bahamas
Technical Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Retail |
| Architecture | two-tier |
| Access model | account based |
| Technology base | dlt |
| Legal tender | full |
Capabilities
offline payments: Yes
programmability: No
cross border: No
interest bearing: No
transaction limits: Yes
Cross-Border Projects
No cross-border project entries are listed for this profile.
Recent Updates
The Sand Dollar remains the world's first live retail CBDC, launched nationwide on October 20, 2020. According to the Central Bank of The Bahamas' 2024 Annual Report, the Sand Dollar ecosystem reached approximately 133,481 users by end-2024 and the merchant ecosystem expanded to 2,034 merchants. The same report says SandDollar Wallet 2.0 and its white-labelled mobile application were rolled out in May 2024, adding self-activation, wallet recovery, richer KYC workflows, and easier integration with authorised financial institutions. The annual report also says the Central Bank continued outreach in the Family Islands and stayed focused on the cybersecurity resilience of the interoperable wallet ecosystem. The latest public circulation figure still appears to be from the earlier Sand Dollar update series, so the registry retains user and merchant metrics from the 2024 annual report and treats deeper monetary metrics as officially undisclosed in newer public materials.
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bahamas have a CBDC?
According to listed sources, Bahamas is developing Bahamas Sand Dollar, currently in live phase.
What is the current status of Bahamas's CBDC?
Bahamas Sand Dollar is listed as live as of 2026-04-18.
When did Bahamas start CBDC pilot activity?
Pilot activity is listed from 2019-12-27.
How many users or wallets are reported for Bahamas's CBDC?
As of 2024-12-31, Bahamas Sand Dollar reports 133,481 wallets.
Is Bahamas's CBDC retail, wholesale, or hybrid?
Bahamas Sand Dollar is categorized as retail.
Which institution manages Bahamas Sand Dollar?
Bahamas Sand Dollar is managed by Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Related CBDCs
Sources
Sources
Last verified: 2026-04-18
Central Bank of The Bahamas
central bank
Sand Dollar Official Website
central bank
History of Sand Dollar - Nationwide Launch October 20, 2020
central bank
Project SandDollar: A Bahamian Payments System Modernization Initiative
central bank
The Bahamas Retail CBDC Experience
central bank
2024 Annual Report & Statement of Accounts - Central Bank of The Bahamas
central bank