ECB executive Cipellone said the digital euro will help European banks improve competitiveness and serve as an innovation platform beyond fixing current payment-system gaps. The ECB plans a formal launch in 2029 and will start pilot testing next year. The project aims to safeguard European monetary sovereignty amid high reliance on Visa and Mastercard and the rise of dollar-linked stablecoins.

2026-10-06

ECB executive Cipellone said the digital euro will help European banks improve competitiveness and serve as an innovation platform beyond fixing current payment-system gaps. The ECB plans a formal launch in 2029 and will start pilot testing next year. The project aims to safeguard European monetary sovereignty amid high reliance on Visa and Mastercard and the rise of dollar-linked stablecoins.