ECB Highlights Digital Euro as Key for Monetary Sovereignty; Poste Italiane Poised to Boost Adoption

The European Central Bank (ECB) continues to push for the introduction of a digital euro to maintain monetary sovereignty and address the declining use of cash in the eurozone. Recent comments from ECB board member Piero Cipollone highlight that cash usage has dropped to 24% of transactions, as consumers shift to digital payments typically dominated by foreign providers. Up to two-thirds of card payments in the region rely on non-European firms, and many eurozone countries depend exclusively on global card or mobile platforms. The digital euro is designed to complement cash and guarantee universal acceptance across Europe, with features such as offline functionality, privacy, and free basic usage for the public. Surveys indicate growing interest among the public in using a digital euro. Notably, the ECB is considering partnering with Poste Italiane—Italy’s national postal service, which has an extensive banking network and millions of clients—to facilitate widespread adoption during the final rollout phase. If development and political approval remain on course, initial digital euro transactions could begin by mid-2028. The ECB is also advancing distributed ledger technology (DLT) settlement in central bank money to support tokenization and safeguard against overreliance on stablecoins or other non-sovereign assets. The involvement of trusted local partners like Poste Italiane underscores the importance of domestic integration to ensure broad accessibility. Crypto traders should monitor the ECB’s developments closely, as the successful rollout of a digital euro could impact the European payments landscape, central bank digital currency (CBDC) policies, and competition with private digital currencies.