# Digital Kina > Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/digital-kina > research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-04 > Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards Specifications: - [Bank of Papua New Guinea](https://www.bankpng.gov.pg/) - [PNG pilots CBDC — NFC World](https://www.nfcw.com/2025/02/07/389936/bank-of-papua-new-guinea-pilots-central-bank-digital-currency-in-port-moresby/) - [PNG Digital Kina CBDC pilot completed — Fintech Frontiers](https://fintechfrontiers.live/bank-of-papua-new-guinea-completes-digital-kina-cbdc-pilot/) ## Overview > **Note on classification.** This entry was originally bucketed as a QR standard, but digital kina is **not a QR-symbol standard** — it is a CBDC pilot. Reclassified as `CBDC`. The wiki shows no playground because there is no QR payload to encode; the slug is retained to avoid breaking incoming links. **Digital Kina** is **Bank of Papua New Guinea's (BPNG) retail Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)** — structurally distinctive as **the first CBDC globally to be built on the open-source Hyperledger Iroha 2 blockchain** [2][2], [3][3], [Papua New Guinea report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PG). The pilot was conducted by **Bank of PNG in cooperation with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Japan-based fintech Soramitsu** — the same Japanese partner that built **[Bakong](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bakong) for the National Bank of Cambodia** on Hyperledger Iroha 1. The **proof-of-concept went live with select stores and cafes in Port Moresby + a small number of users at end of 2024**. Following successful initial deployment, **the pilot expanded ahead of full Digital Kina rollout**. The structural significance: PNG joins a small set of countries deploying retail-CBDCs ([Sand Dollar](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/sand-dollar) BS, [JAM-DEX QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/jam-dex-qr) JM, [DCash](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/dcash) ECCU-discontinued, [Chivo QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/chivo-qr) SV-planned-shutdown, eNaira NG, e-CNY CN-pilot) with the **first Hyperledger Iroha 2 deployment**. To use Digital Kina, **participants download a mobile app + scan a merchant's QR code to make payment**. This is structurally similar to Bakong's mobile-app + QR design. The Cambodia-Japan-PNG-Soramitsu axis represents one of the world's most-active **central-bank-DLT-payment-infrastructure clusters**. ## History **Background — PNG payment landscape** [Papua New Guinea report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PG): - **Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG)** — central bank. - **Kina Bank, BSP Financial Group, ANZ PNG, Westpac PNG** as major commercial banks. - **Kina Pei** (Kina Bank's digital wallet) — earlier digital-payment innovation. **Digital Kina pilot announced** [3][3]: - Bank of PNG + Japan METI + Soramitsu partnership. - Hyperledger Iroha 2 blockchain selected. **End of 2024 — Pilot proof-of-concept goes live** [2][2]: - Select Port Moresby stores + cafes. - Small number of users. **Pilot expansion** [3][3]: - Following successful initial deployment. - Larger user base + merchant network. **Full rollout planned** [2][2]: - After successful pilot expansion. ## Technical specification Digital Kina is **BPNG's Soramitsu-built Hyperledger-Iroha-2 retail CBDC** [2][2], [3][3]: | Layer | Description | |---|---| | **Issuer** | **Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG)** | | **Technology partner** | **Soramitsu** (Japanese blockchain firm) | | **Government partner** | **Japan METI** (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) | | **Underlying blockchain** | **Hyperledger Iroha 2** (first deployment globally) | | **Currency** | PGK (PNG kina) | | **App interface** | Mobile app + QR-code scanning | | **Pilot launch** | End of 2024 | | **Pilot location** | Port Moresby (select stores + cafes) | | **Status** | Pilot expansion → planned full rollout | **Hyperledger Iroha 2 distinction** [2][2]: - First CBDC globally on this version. - Successor to Iroha 1 used by Cambodia's [Bakong](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bakong). - Open-source permissioned DLT. **Japan METI partnership** [3][3]: - Japan-Pacific development cooperation context. - Soramitsu as Japanese technology partner. ## Use cases **Retail merchant payments (Port Moresby pilot)** [2][2]: Select stores + cafes. **P2P transfers (future)** [3][3]: Planned full-rollout feature. **Financial inclusion** [Papua New Guinea report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PG): PNG has significant unbanked population. **Cross-border within Pacific (potential)** [Papua New Guinea report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PG): Pacific-region CBDC interop potential. ## Implementations & ecosystem **Issuer**: **Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG)**. **Technology partner**: **Soramitsu** (Japan). **Government partner**: **Japan METI**. **Major PNG commercial banks**: BSP Financial Group, Kina Bank, ANZ PNG, Westpac PNG. **Companion**: Kina Bank's **Kina Pei** + **Pei Beta** digital-wallet products (commercial bank-led, distinct from CBDC). ## Fun facts - **First Hyperledger Iroha 2 CBDC deployment globally**: PNG pioneers the newer DLT version. Cambodia's [Bakong](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bakong) used Iroha 1. - **Cambodia-Japan-PNG-Soramitsu axis**: Soramitsu's expanding Pacific + Southeast Asian central-bank-DLT-payment footprint. - **Japan METI involvement**: Japan-Pacific development cooperation; METI promotes Japanese fintech globally. - **Port Moresby pilot end 2024**: Start of PNG CBDC adoption phase. - **PNG's small + diverse population**: ~9.5M across many islands; CBDC potentially valuable for cross-island payment. - **Pacific CBDC context**: Joins emerging Pacific CBDC space alongside discussions in other Pacific Island Forum nations. - **NOT a discontinued case (yet)**: Active pilot expansion phase; distinguishes from DCash + Chivo trajectory. - **Bank-led + central-bank dual-product context**: BPNG Digital Kina (CBDC) + Kina Bank Kina Pei (commercial-bank digital wallet) coexisting. ## Comparison | Feature | Digital Kina (PG) | [Bakong](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bakong) (KH) | [Sand Dollar](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/sand-dollar) (BS) | [DCash](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/dcash) (ECCU, discontinued) | [Chivo QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/chivo-qr) (SV, planned-shutdown) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Issuer | BPNG | NBC | Central Bank of Bahamas | ECCB | Salvadoran government | | Tech | **Hyperledger Iroha 2** | Hyperledger Iroha 1 (Soramitsu) | NZIA | Bitt | Custom + Lightning | | Launch | End 2024 pilot | Oct 2020 | Oct 2020 | Mar 2021 → Jan 2024 shutdown | Sep 2021 → planned shutdown | | CBDC-clarity | Retail CBDC | NOT a CBDC per NBC | Retail CBDC | Retail CBDC | Bitcoin-state-wallet | | Status | Pilot expansion | Active (608M txns 2024) | Active (low adoption) | **Discontinued** | **Planned shutdown** | ## Status **Active pilot, expanding** [2][2], [3][3]: - **BPNG issuer** + **Soramitsu** Hyperledger Iroha 2 tech. - **Japan METI partner**. - **End-2024 Port Moresby pilot live**. - **Expansion phase pre-full-rollout**. ## Sources [1]: https://www.bankpng.gov.pg/ "Bank of Papua New Guinea" [2]: https://www.nfcw.com/2025/02/07/389936/bank-of-papua-new-guinea-pilots-central-bank-digital-currency-in-port-moresby/ "PNG pilots CBDC — NFC World" [3]: https://fintechfrontiers.live/bank-of-papua-new-guinea-completes-digital-kina-cbdc-pilot/ "Digital Kina pilot completed — Fintech Frontiers" - [1] [Bank of Papua New Guinea][1] - [2] [PNG pilots CBDC — NFC World][2] - [3] [Digital Kina pilot completed — Fintech Frontiers][3] - [Papua New Guinea report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PG) `reports/countries/PG-papua-new-guinea.md` ## Deployments Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`): - **PG** — [PG-papua-new-guinea.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/PG)