Short answers, pulled from the story.
Six countries have fully issued central bank digital currencies to date. The Bahamas launched the Sand Dollar in October 2020 and Nigeria introduced the e-Naira shortly after that launch.
The People's Bank of China began formal research on issuing a CBDC in 2014. This initiative predates the widespread use of the term CBDC which occurred after 2019.
Retail CBDCs target households and businesses for everyday payments while wholesale CBDCs serve financial institutions similarly to central bank reserves. Retail systems digitize sovereign currency including existing wholesale reserves used in repo markets whereas wholesale systems focus on interbank settlements rather than consumer spending.
Florida became the first U.S. state to ban CBDC payments citing privacy concerns. This action distinguishes it from other jurisdictions that are actively researching or piloting their own versions.
Governments gain direct visibility into every financial transaction under CBDC schemes allowing them to track individual spending patterns. Programmable money allows governments to expire funds within set periods and theoretically prohibit purchases of specific products like alcohol on weekdays.