Sweden's central bank is on a course to develop and road test its digital currency offering, e-krona, as it seeks to become a global leader in the fast-changing world of blockchain-technology–led currencies.

The architects behind the Riksbank's e-krona project spoke to Fortune this week about their plans to pilot a digital version of the country's storied currency. If the project proves successful, the digital currency will be added to the mix of other payment types already in place in the famously tech-savvy country, and will serve to protect the Swedish krona against the rise of decentralized cryptocurrencies.

"We want to update our offer when it comes to means-of-payment, and we want to find our role in this new world," said Mithra Sundberg, head of the e-krona pilot division at Riksbank.