Japan’s finance minister, Taro Aso, suggested on Tuesday the G7 finance ministers should have discussions over central bank digital currencies (CBDC) during Friday’s virtual meeting.

• The G7 meetings are attended by officials from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. to discuss global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
• “I think it’s important for us to thrash out (policy measures regarding) digital currency issued by central banks,” said Aso said at a press conference, reports The Mainichi.
• In December, G7 Finance Ministers said they see a need to regulate digital currencies, according to a U.S. Treasury Department statement.
• Last year G7 attendees talked about responses to the ever-changing landscape of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets as well as government efforts to prevent their use for illegal purposes.
• The G7 meeting on Friday is a virtual meeting and will be the first since U.S. President Joe Biden was sworn into office on Jan. 20.
• The virtual meeting is ahead of the official summer G7 gathering in 2021, which will be held in the U.K. this year.

Read more: G7 Officials Stress Need to Regulate Digital Currencies: US Treasury