Author: Rinat Mirzaitov

The European Parliament is poised to prioritise an offline-only launch of the digital euro, with an online version introduced only if private European payment solutions fail to deliver, according to reporting by MLex. The draft compromise text, prepared for lawmakers in the ECON committee, marks a significant shift in how the single currency’s digital form could be rolled out across the euro area. The compromise would formally establish the digital euro in an offline form, described as a “digital representation of cash, non-account-based and bearer-type instrument” capable of operating without an internet connection. An online version would be considered later,…

The introduction of a digital euro could cost European banks between €4 billion and €6 billion over four years, according to estimates presented by European Central Bank Executive Board member Piero Cipollone. The figures offer the clearest indication yet of the financial impact the project could have on the banking sector, as EU lawmakers continue to debate the legislation required to launch the currency. Speaking to an Italian parliamentary committee on banks, Cipollone said the estimate is based on indications provided by financial institutions themselves and would amount to roughly 3 percent of what banks spend annually on IT system…

The European Central Bank has sharpened its case for the digital euro, framing it as a strategic response to Europe’s growing dependence on foreign payment providers. Speaking in Rome on 19 February, ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone told Italy’s Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry into the Banking, Financial and Insurance System that retail payments have become a pressure point for Europe’s monetary sovereignty. His message was clear: as cash use declines and digital transactions increasingly rely on non-European platforms, the euro risks losing ground in its own economy unless policymakers act. “In this fast-changing world, let’s show Europeans that we…

The European Central Bank has set out its clearest timetable yet for the potential launch of a digital euro, signalling readiness for first issuance in 2029 if EU lawmakers adopt the necessary legislation next year. Speaking on 18 February 2026, Executive Board member Piero Cipollone detailed how the project has moved into an advanced preparation phase, with a pilot involving real transactions planned for mid-2027. The message was twofold: the digital euro is technically progressing, but its launch remains contingent on political agreement. The ECB’s working assumption is that the Regulation establishing the digital euro will be adopted in 2026,…

Ripple has received full approval for an Electronic Money Institution, or EMI, licence in Luxembourg, marking a significant step in its European expansion. The authorisation from the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, known as the CSSF, allows the company to provide regulated electronic money and payment services across the European Union under passporting rules. The decision strengthens Ripple’s position in Europe at a time when regulatory clarity under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework is reshaping the digital asset sector. With an EMI licence, Ripple can issue electronic money, offer payment services, and operate within a well-defined supervisory regime,…

The European Central Bank has issued one of its clearest warnings yet that Europe risks losing control over its monetary future unless it reduces its dependence on foreign payment providers and US dollar stablecoins. In a speech in Rome on 12 February, ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone argued that safeguarding monetary sovereignty in the digital age now requires Europe to build its own retail and wholesale payment infrastructure around the euro. Speaking at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Cipollone framed the debate in stark terms. “If we lose control of our money, we lose control of our economic destiny,”…

The European Parliament has voted in favour of legislation supporting a digital euro that would function both online and offline, marking a significant step forward for the European Union’s central bank digital currency project. The decision brings Parliament into closer alignment with the European Central Bank and the Council of the EU, increasing the likelihood of a unified negotiating position later this year. The vote endorses a dual functionality model, allowing the digital euro to be used for internet-based payments as well as offline transactions, such as device-to-device payments without a network connection. For the ECB, which has consistently argued…

The European Parliament is gearing up for a highly symbolic vote that could clarify political backing for a digital euro, the long-mooted central bank digital currency (CBDC) project led by the European Central Bank (ECB). On Tuesday, lawmakers are expected to vote on the annual European Central Bank work report, into which a group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) has inserted an amendment expressly supporting an “online and offline digital euro” that bolsters universal access to payments and reduces dependence on non-European providers. Although the ECB annual report and its amendments carry no direct legislative force, the outcome…

As geopolitical uncertainty reshapes global finance, senior European Central Bank officials are sharpening their message. The digital euro, they argue, is no longer just a payments innovation, but part of Europe’s response to a more fragile, fragmented and politically charged global order. In interviews published this month, Sharon Donnery and Piero Cipollone set out a common narrative. Europe needs stronger resilience, both in its banking system and in the way citizens and businesses pay, and public money has a central role to play. Donnery, speaking from the perspective of banking supervision, said geopolitical risk has shifted from an occasional concern…

The European Central Bank is sharpening its public case for a digital euro, framing it less as a technical innovation and more as a necessary evolution of cash itself. In an interview published on Sunday, ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone said the project is ultimately about preserving Europeans’ freedom to use central bank money as payments increasingly move online. Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Cipollone stressed that the ECB has not yet issued a digital euro and will not do so without a legal mandate from EU lawmakers. But he made clear that the central bank believes the…