LUSAKA, April 12 (Reuters) - Zambia is planning to finish tests that simulate real-world cryptocurrency usage by the end of June to help it create regulations that balance citizens' safety with innovation, science and technology minister Felix Mutati told Reuters. The southern African country also needs digital infrastructure, including digital identities, before cryptocurrencies can be introduced, Mutati said in an interview on Wednesday. "Our main goal in the area of cryptocurrency is to strike a balance between innovation in terms of digital payments ... against citizens' safety, particularly given that cryptocurrency is very volatile," Mutati said. "What we are seeing is increased appetite to invest in Zambia," Mutati said, when asked whether any investments under his purview had been delayed, suspended or cancelled due to Zambia's long-delayed debt restructuring. Mutati said the way Chinese loans were contracted during his tenure as finance minister between 2016 and 2018 depended on the project.

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