ECB to run 12-month real-payment digital euro pilot from late 2027
- —Pilot covers real purchases in shops and transfers between ECB and national central bank staff
- —A holding limit will apply to wallet balances, not payment amounts; shortfalls draw from a linked bank account
- —Two-thirds of European online card payments run through non-European networks, Cipollone said
- —The digital euro is not meant to replace cash, with ECB planning parallel use of both
Why it matters: A digital euro would deepen the ECB's role in retail payments and could reshape competition with stablecoins in Europe.
Source: TokenPost