RBA and DFCRC Release Findings on Project Acacia Trials

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) released the Project Acacia final report on 19 May 2026. The project examined how digital money and new settlement infrastructure can support tokenised asset markets in Australia. Tokenised assets are financial instruments recorded and transferred on distributed ledger technology (DLT) — a shared digital database not controlled by a single entity. Australian regulators ASIC, APRA, and the Treasury supported the project.

Twenty use cases tested across multiple asset classesIndustry participants developed and tested 20 wholesale tokenised asset use cases across asset classes including fixed income, private markets, trade receivables, and carbon credits. The use cases covered the full asset lifecycle, from issuance and servicing to trading and settlement. Participants tested multiple settlement methods, including traditional RBA exchange settlement account balances, tokenised commercial bank deposits, and stablecoins — digital currencies pegged to a fixed value.

"Project Acacia demonstrated how tokenised assets, digital money and new settlement infrastructure can improve the efficiency and functioning of wholesale financial markets. This includes faster settlement, reduced counterparty risk, improved capital efficiency and automated asset servicing.", 19 May 2026. — Professor Tālis Putniņš, Co-CEO and Chief Scientist, Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre

Australia issues wholesale CBDC onto two DLT networksProject Acacia issued a pilot wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) — a digital form of central bank money used between financial institutions — onto both a private DLT network and the public Hedera Mainnet. The private network used was HashSphere, developed by Hashgraph. The DFCRC describes this as a world first for deploying wCBDC across both public and private DLT infrastructure simultaneously. No independent neutral body has separately confirmed the world-first designation.

"The constructive engagement between industry and public sector agencies was a foundation stone for the success of Project Acacia. It surfaced a set of common opportunities and challenges in making our financial system more dynamic and resilient through a period of intense technological disruption.", 19 May 2026. — Brad Jones, Assistant Governor (Financial System), Reserve Bank of Australia

Future program includes government bond tokenisation considerationThe final report outlines a new multi-stream program for Australia's wholesale financial markets. One element lists consideration of the opportunities and challenges associated with government issuance of tokenised bonds. The report frames this as a future area for analysis, not a confirmed policy commitment. Other program elements include a regulatory sandbox for digital financial market infrastructure and continued RBA consultation on settlement system adaptation. The DFCRC estimates digital finance innovation could deliver $24 billion in annual economic gains for Australia, equivalent to approximately one percent of GDP according to DFCRC research. Future program includes government bond tokenisation considerationThe final report outlines a new multi-stream program for Australia's wholesale financial markets. One element lists consideration of the opportunities and challenges associated with government issuance of tokenised bonds. The report frames this as a future area for analysis, not a confirmed policy commitment. Other program elements include a regulatory sandbox for digital financial market infrastructure and continued RBA consultation on settlement system adaptation. The DFCRC estimates digital finance innovation could deliver $24 billion in annual economic gains for Australia, equivalent to approximately one percent of GDP according to DFCRC research. The final report outlines a new multi-stream program for Australia's wholesale financial markets. One element lists consideration of the opportunities and challenges associated with government issuance of tokenised bonds. The report frames this as a future area for analysis, not a confirmed policy commitment. Other program elements include a regulatory sandbox for digital financial market infrastructure and continued RBA consultation on settlement system adaptation. The DFCRC estimates digital finance innovation could deliver $24 billion in annual economic gains for Australia, equivalent to approximately one percent of GDP according to DFCRC research. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and involve significant risk. You may lose part or all of your investment. All information on Coinpaprika is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Always conduct your own research (DYOR) and consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Coinpaprika is not liable for any losses resulting from the use of this information.