Author: Oliver Torsney

Christine Lagarde has indicated she intends to serve out her full mandate as president of the European Central Bank, dampening speculation that she might leave before her term ends in October 2027. The signal matters beyond personal career planning. It reinforces continuity at a pivotal moment for euro area monetary policy and for the future of the digital euro project. According to a Reuters report published on 26 February 2026, Lagarde suggested she expects to complete her eight-year term at the helm of the ECB. The remarks come amid recurring market rumours about a potential early departure to another high-profile…

European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis has called for rapid progress on the digital euro legislation, arguing that delays could weaken Europe’s monetary sovereignty as other jurisdictions move ahead with digital public and private money initiatives. Speaking at the Maste event, Dombrovskis framed the digital euro as a strategic project for the entire euro area, linking it directly to Europe’s autonomy in payments and financial infrastructure. His remarks underline the political dimension of the project at a time when the European Central Bank is advancing technical preparations while legislative negotiations continue in Brussels. Dombrovskis stressed that the digital euro…

Stripe is considering an acquisition of all or parts of PayPal, according to Bloomberg, in what could become one of the largest transactions in the history of digital payments. The early stage deliberations, if they progress, would mark a dramatic consolidation move in a sector already under pressure from Apple Pay and Google Pay, with implications for global payment infrastructure including Europe. According to people familiar with the matter, Stripe has expressed preliminary interest in acquiring either the full company or selected assets of PayPal. No formal offer has been made and there is no certainty a transaction will occur.…

The European Central Bank has signed a collaboration agreement with the ONCE Foundation to ensure the digital euro app is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, older adults and those with limited digital skills. The move signals that inclusion is becoming a central design principle of Europe’s future central bank digital currency, not an afterthought. Announced on 18 February 2026, the partnership will see the ECB draw directly on the ONCE Foundation’s technical expertise in accessibility as it develops the digital euro’s user interface and functionalities. The collaboration is not remunerated. The ECB says it will rely on the…

Germany’s Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has sharply criticised delays to the digital euro legislation, warning that failure to advance the project now is “harming Europe itself.” His remarks, made ahead of a meeting of euro area finance ministers in Brussels, underline growing political pressure to move the European Central Bank’s digital currency project into its next phase. The legislative proposal for a digital euro is currently stalled in the European Parliament, where MEPs have struggled to agree on a common position. Without parliamentary approval, negotiations with the Council of the EU cannot begin, potentially pushing back the ECB’s…

Bitcoin was trading near $66,000 on February 13, 2026, extending a months-long decline that has erased its post-election gains and unsettled crypto markets globally. While controversy surrounding the Trump-linked World Liberty Financial has intensified in Washington, available evidence suggests macroeconomic forces, not a single political scandal, are driving the broader sell-off. The world’s largest cryptocurrency has fallen sharply from its October 2025 peak above $126,000. According to Reuters and Associated Press reporting cited in the attached analysis, thin liquidity, reduced risk appetite, and uncertainty around US Federal Reserve policy have weighed heavily on prices. Bitcoin briefly touched levels near $60,000…

The European Central Bank is increasingly framing the digital euro and tokenised central bank money as core pillars of Europe’s economic resilience, rather than niche payments experiments. That message came through clearly on Monday, when Christine Lagarde used her annual address to the European Parliament to link digital money directly to competitiveness, sovereignty and financial stability. In a wide-ranging speech marking the ECB’s Annual Report, Lagarde devoted a substantial section to the future of central bank money. Her remarks went well beyond familiar assurances about privacy or consumer choice. Instead, she placed the digital euro, alongside new initiatives on tokenised…

Block, the US financial technology group behind Square, Cash App and Afterpay, has opened a new strategic European hub in Dublin, underlining its long-term commitment to the region’s payments and fintech ecosystem. The move comes as European regulation tightens and competition intensifies across digital payments, merchant services and embedded finance. The new office, located at One Park Place in Dublin’s Docklands, is designed to act as a focal point for Block’s European operations, bringing together product development, policy engagement and collaboration with sellers and partners across the continent. The company said the hub will support its distributed-first work model while…

The digital euro is not a geopolitical weapon or a reaction to recent global tensions, but a necessary update to ensure that public money remains usable in a digital economy, according to Piero Cipollone, a member of the European Central Bank Executive Board. Speaking in an interview with El País, Cipollone said the ECB is responding to structural changes in how Europeans pay, not to specific political events. The ECB, he argued, is mandated to provide a reliable means of payment and to ensure the smooth functioning of the payments system. That obligation now raises uncomfortable questions. Europe’s retail payments…

A new academic paper has delivered one of the most comprehensive critiques yet of the European Central Bank’s digital euro project, questioning whether the ECB’s own public explanations accurately reflect the risks and trade-offs of its proposed design. The study directly challenges official claims on privacy, security, and societal benefits at a moment when legislative negotiations are entering a decisive phase. The paper, titled Digital Euro: Frequently Asked Questions Revisited, examines the ECB’s official digital euro FAQ and supporting technical documents line by line. Written by researchers from universities in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, it argues that the ECB’s…