Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran cautioned that stablecoins could affect U.S. interest rate dynamics as global demand for dollar-pegged tokens expands rapidly.

An ECB adviser has challenged the feasibility of a retail digital euro limited to offline use only, marking a fresh divergence with some European Parliament members who favour such a design.

The ECB has completed the preparation phase of the digital euro, selecting private-sector partners and finalising its rulebook. Lawmakers are expected to decide on legislation in 2026, paving the way for pilot testing.

Italian banks back the ECB’s digital euro project but seek a slower rollout to manage costs and limit risks to traditional deposits.

With legislation advancing and technical tests underway, the digital euro is moving closer to reality — but questions remain about timing, trust, and the future of European money.

Between 2024 and 2025, Europe’s banking industry intensified its lobbying around the digital euro, seeking safeguards to prevent disruption to the financial system.

As the ECB advanced technical work on the digital euro, EU policymakers debated privacy rules, access rights, and limits to ensure public trust and financial stability.

After two years of investigation, the ECB entered the next stage of the digital euro project, focusing on technical design, rulebook drafting, and cooperation with the European Commission.

As the ECB explored technical models for the digital euro, it faced a delicate challenge: fostering innovation while protecting financial stability and user privacy.

A large-scale consultation by the European Central Bank showed Europeans support a digital euro but want strong guarantees that their financial data will remain private.

The ECB launched a two-year investigation into the design and impact of a digital euro amid the pandemic-driven surge in online payments and growing competition from global digital currencies.

As Bitcoin and private digital assets gained traction, the European Central Bank began exploring whether a central bank digital currency was necessary to safeguard monetary sovereignty.

The launch of the euro in 1999 marked a turning point for European integration, uniting economies under a single currency and paving the way for future digital innovation.