As Mercator fellow Julian Barazi will investigate political interest in central bank digital currencies. His focus is on their potential role in countries with collapsing financial systems, development financing and in geopolitical considerations. He obtained professional experience in New York, Frankfurt and Ethiopia, at the European Central Bank, the EU Delegation to the UN, the rating agency Moody’s and at UNESCO. He completed a double master programme between Sciences Po Paris in Economic Policy with a focus on development and Bocconi in Milan in Economics and Management. He spent his undergraduate studies in economics and international relations at Sciences Po Paris and in Shanghai.