📌 Digital euro launch by ECB is set for 2029.
The project for a Digital Euro has moved to the next stage according to the European Central Bank. Moving forward, priority will be on technical development, policy requirements, and real-world testing — pending the agreement from legislators to the establishment of a legal framework.
The ECB indicated that should European legislation be ready by 2026, a pilot could be launched in 2027 and a full launch could take place as early 2029. The Digital Euro project has been a topic of active research since 2020 as part of Europe’s overall attempt to revamp payments and cut back on private fin-tech and non-EU payment rails.
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⚠️ EU lawmakers can late agree on a digital euro rollout.
The political context continues to be turbulent, inside ECB. Concerns include:
🔒 Loss of financial privacy
🏦 Disruption to commercial banks
❌ Government-controlled money lacks public trust
🇪🇺 EU member states disagreement among themselves
Since 2023, legislation in the European Parliament has been on hold, with the political push of the 2024 elections further delaying the process.
Still, optimism persists. As ECB Board Member Piero Cipollone says, the agreement is likely by May 2026.
He insists that Digital Euro is the need of the hour for resilience:
Europeans should be able to access free digital payments that nobody can block or ban even during spikes like war or cyber attack.
🌍 Only three central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are live today — and Europe is still not quite there.
More than 49 countries are currently trying out central bank digital currencies – but only three have launched:
