A total of 130 countries representing 98 percent of the global economy are now exploring digital versions of their currencies, with almost half in advanced development, pilot or launch stages, a closely-followed study shows.

The research by the U.S.-based Atlantic Council think tank published on Wednesday said significant progress over the past six months meant that all G20 countries with the exception of Argentina were now in one of those advanced phases.

Eleven countries, including a number in the Caribbean, and Nigeria, have already launched central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as they are known, while pilot testing in China now reaches 260 million people and covers 200 scenarios from e-commerce to government stimulus payments.

Two other big emerging economies, India and Brazil, also plan to launch digital currencies next year. The European Central Bank is on track to begin its digital euro pilot ahead of a possible launch in 2028, while over 20 other countries will also take significant steps towards pilots this year.

In the United States, though, progress on a digital dollar is only "moving forward" for a wholesale (bank-to-bank) version, the Atlantic Council's research said, whereas work on a retail version for use by the wider population has "stalled".

U.S. President Joe Biden ordered government officials to assess the risks and benefits of creating a digital dollar in March last year.

The heavyweight status of the dollar in the financial system means any U.S. move has potentially enormous global consequences, but the Federal Reserve said back in January this year that Congress, rather than it, should decide whether a digital version is launched.

(With input from Reuters)