PANews reported on December 12 that according to Trend, the Kyrgyz Parliament approved a draft law in the first reading, establishing the framework and legal status around the digital som. Once fully implemented, the digital som will serve as the national currency of Kyrgyzstan and will be recognized as legal tender throughout the country. The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan will oversee its issuance, accounting and distribution through a centralized platform, granting the country's central bank the exclusive right to issue this currency. Prototype testing of the digital som is scheduled to begin in early 2025 and is expected to be fully integrated into the country's financial ecosystem by January 2027.