The project of the Digital Real, named DREX, was launched with the ambition of placing Brazil at the forefront of global financial innovation. Inspired by the advances of cryptocurrencies, the Central Bank aimed to create an official digital currency based on blockchain technology. The promise was for greater efficiency, transparency, and integration among financial institutions. However, as the project progressed, the technical and conceptual realities diverged from the initial vision. DREX ultimately became a classic example of how attempting to centralize something that was born to be decentralized is doomed to fail.