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# Saudi Central Bank confirms mBridge exit after completing its planned pilot
- URL: https://www.theglobalbanker.com/saudi-central-bank-ended-mbridge-participation-after-completing-its-planned-pilot/
- Published: 2026-09-22T15:24:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T01:31:27.000Z
- Description: The Saudi Central Bank said it ended participation in mBridge after completing a proof-of-concept on 13 May 2025, removing the kingdom from the cross-border CBDC platform.
- Author: TGB Editorial Team
- Tags: Central Banks, MENA

The Saudi Central Bank said it was no longer a participating member of mBridge after completing a planned proof-of-concept on 13 May 2025\. The institution confirmed the change to the Financial Times in a statement published on 20 September 2026\. Saudi Arabia had joined the cross-border central-bank digital-currency project as an observer in 2023 and became a full participant in 2024.

mBridge was developed to test instant cross-border payments and settlement using central-bank digital currencies on distributed-ledger technology. The Bank for International Settlements worked with the central banks of China, Hong Kong, Thailand and the UAE on the project from 2021\. Saudi Arabia joined when mBridge reached its minimum viable product stage in 2024\. The BIS later ended its own involvement while the participating authorities continued developing the platform.

#### SAMA DESCRIBED THE EXIT AS PLANNED

SAMA said it joined as a participant in June 2024 within a limited scope to conduct a proof-of-concept trial, which ran in a test environment without any real financial transactions. It said the trial was completed on 13 May 2025 and that it did not proceed to subsequent phases, in line with the planned scope of its participation. The statement did not attribute the change to pressure from another government.

A person with knowledge of the matter told the Financial Times it would be "inaccurate to draw any wider inference" from the exit, given that Saudi involvement was "already limited".

#### MBRIDGE CONTINUES TO EXPAND

The platform has continued to add members: the Monetary Authority of Macao joined in 2026.