Kenya central bank says digital currency not a 'compelling priority'

FILE PHOTO: Representations of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on a screen showing binary codes are seen through a magnifying glass in this illustration picture taken September 27, 2021. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's central bank does not consider the issuance of a digital currency a "compelling priority" but it will continue monitoring developments in the area to help future decisions on issuance, it said on Friday.

The bank invited views from the public on the potential introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in February last year, in a shift from its original opposition to crypto assets, but it has decided not to issue any.