Author: DigitalEuroNews

The digital euro has become a matter of economic sovereignty, not just payments innovation, according to Piero Cipollone, who warned that Europe risks losing control over a critical part of its financial infrastructure if it fails to act quickly. Speaking in Nicosia on 6 February, the European Central Bank Executive Board member argued that Europe’s growing dependence on non-European payment providers has created strategic vulnerabilities at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty. As cash usage declines and digital payments dominate, Cipollone said central bank money must evolve to remain relevant in daily economic life. The speech came as Cyprus holds…

Paytech firm Viva Payments has launched Alipay acceptance in Greece through a strategic partnership with Alipay, extending mobile payment access for Chinese visitors to the country. Under the agreement, Alipay users can make payments for the first time while visiting Greece, with transactions routed through merchants using Viva Payments’ cloud-based platform, Viva Wallet. Acceptance is focused on touristic locations, reflecting Greece’s reliance on international travel and seasonal spending. Panos Tsakos, chief marketing officer at Viva Payments, said the partnership reflects the company’s internationally oriented strategy and responds directly to changing visitor demand. Greece was expecting more than 150,000 visitors from…

Germany’s DZ Bank has joined QIValis, a European consortium of banks developing a shared tokenised euro settlement asset, adding fresh momentum to bank-led alternatives to global stablecoins and public digital currencies. The move underlines how large European lenders are positioning themselves ahead of key decisions on the digital euro and the future structure of wholesale payments in the euro area. DZ Bank, the central institution for Germany’s cooperative banking sector, becomes the latest major player to back QIValis, a project designed to create a regulated, bank-issued digital settlement instrument for use between financial institutions. According to reporting by Ledger Insights,…

bunq has filed for a US de novo banking license, a major step in its plan to operate as a full-service digital bank across both Europe and the United States. The move reflects rising demand from globally mobile customers who want simple, secure banking that works seamlessly across borders. The application, submitted to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, would allow bunq to offer regulated retail banking services in the US. If approved, it would place the European challenger among a small group of foreign neobanks attempting to enter the tightly controlled American banking market. bunq has built…

The prospect of impeachment has re-entered the US political debate after Donald Trump warned Republican lawmakers that losing the midterm elections could expose him to renewed efforts to impeach him. Speaking to party members, Trump argued that a Democratic victory would almost certainly lead to another impeachment attempt. In remarks highlighted by PBS NewsHour, Trump told Republicans that Democrats would “find a reason” to impeach him if they regain control of the House of Representatives. He framed the midterms as a high-stakes contest not only for party power but also for his own political survival. Trump has already been impeached…

First Abu Dhabi Bank has partnered with Mastercard to launch a mobile-first virtual corporate card solution for businesses in the United Arab Emirates, as demand accelerates for faster and more digital business-to-business payment tools. The initiative was first reported by FF News and highlights how corporate payments are becoming a strategic priority for banks and payment networks. The new solution allows companies and government entities to issue virtual corporate cards instantly and provision them directly into mobile wallets, eliminating the need for physical cards. According to FF News, the cards can be used for both online and in-store transactions across…

A securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States against Klarna Group plc, accusing the buy now, pay later provider of misleading investors during its 2025 stock market debut. The case centres on alleged shortcomings in Klarna’s IPO disclosures, and adds fresh pressure on the European fintech sector as public markets grow less tolerant of opaque credit risk. According to notices circulated by several US law firms, the complaint alleges that Klarna’s registration statement and prospectus understated the scale and likelihood of future credit losses in its consumer lending business. Investors argue that the documents did not…

The euro has officially entered circulation in Bulgaria, marking the country’s full accession to the euro area and a major step in its economic integration with the European Union. From 1 January 2026, euro banknotes and coins replace the Bulgarian lev at the irrevocably fixed conversion rate of 1.95583 leva per euro. The move makes Bulgaria the 21st member of the euro area and brings its central bank into the core of euro area monetary policymaking. The transition follows years of preparation under Bulgaria’s currency board arrangement, which had already pegged the lev to the euro for more than two…

A temporary outage in online banking services at Deutsche Bank and its retail subsidiary Postbank has drawn renewed attention to the resilience of Europe’s private payment infrastructure. The disruption, which lasted several hours, prevented many customers from logging in or accessing account information before services were restored later the same day. According to a Deutsche Bank spokesperson, the incident was caused by a technical fault affecting shared IT systems across the group. The bank said the problem was resolved over the course of the afternoon and stressed that customer funds and data were not compromised. Users were asked for patience…

Italian asset manager Azimut Holding has extended its agreement with private equity fund FSI to develop its planned fintech bank, pushing the deadline to June 2026, according to Reuters. The project, known as TNB, was previously set to lapse at the end of December 2025. Under the revised terms, the binding agreement now runs until June 20, 2026, with the option to extend further to December 20, should additional time be required. Azimut has said it expects to receive regulatory approval in the second quarter of 2026. The timeline follows a review by Italy’s banking supervisor, the Bank of Italy,…