Jamaica's Senate has unanimously passed a digital currency bill which authorises the Bank of Jamaica to issue and back a central bank digital currency. The currency has been named the Jamaican Digital Exchange, or Jam-Dex. 
Jam-Dex will be available directly through a digital wallet -Lynk, which will be issued by banks or authorised payment service providers. It will not  require an associated bank account and will not use blockchain. Jamaica joins other countries that are pioneering central bank digital currencies (CBDC)- which are publicly issued and regulated. CBDC can be exchanged dollar-for-dollar with the paper currency of the country. According to a tracker by Atlantic Council, there are 10 CBDCs in use, while 105 are exploring or testing CBDCs.