{"id":2714,"date":"2025-03-18T16:18:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/18\/ecb-prepping-the-ground-for-digital-euro-launch\/"},"modified":"2025-03-18T16:18:42","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:18:42","slug":"ecb-prepping-the-ground-for-digital-euro-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/18\/ecb-prepping-the-ground-for-digital-euro-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"ECB Prepping the Ground for Digital Euro Launch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bitcoin Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n

ECB Prepping the Ground for Digital Euro Launch<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The European Central Bank (ECB) is laying the groundwork for the probable launch of its wholesale and retail central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Digital Euro. Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, shared this update at their latest press conference. \u201cPresident Lagarde stressed that the digital euro is \u2018more relevant than ever,’\u201d the ECB tweeted.<\/p>\n

Lagarde emphasized that the Digital Euro, the EU\u2019s CBDC solution, is set to launch in October 2025\u2014provided it passes the legislative phase involving key stakeholders, including the European Commission, Parliament, and Council. Notably absent from this process is the European public, despite the significant impact this initiative will have on their daily lives.<\/p>\n

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CBDC in EU will launch in Oct. 2025.
Wholesale & retail.
Israel is following EU\u2019s footsteps \u2013 preparing for CBDC with a new 110 page design document. pic.twitter.com\/fUr1CkBRmy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Efrat Fenigson (@efenigson) March 8, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Why Is the Digital Euro More Relevant Than Ever?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Could it be linked to Ursula von der Leyen\u2019s recent \u201cReArm Europe\u201d announcement, which proposes the creation of an EU army? This initiative requires an estimated \u20ac800 billion in funding\u2014money the EU does not have. The options? Extracting it from EU member states and their citizens or printing fresh funds via the ECB. Either way, it\u2019s time to warm up the ECB\u2019s money printers!<\/p>\n

\n

We are living in dangerous times.<\/p>\n

Europe\u2018s security is threatened in a very real way.<\/p>\n

Today I present ReArm Europe.<\/p>\n

A plan for a safer and more resilient Europe \u2193 https:\/\/t.co\/CYTytB5ZMk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 4, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Furthermore, The EU has introduced the \u201cSavings and Investments Union\u201d, aiming to redirect \u20ac10 trillion in \u201cunused savings\u201d from citizens to finance military growth and bolster Europe\u2019s defense industry. \u201cWe\u2019ll turn private savings into much-needed investment,\u201d tweeted von der Leyen. If this hasn\u2019t shocked you already, I\u2019ll try to clarify: This is a clear violation of private property rights, and an implicit confiscation of Europeans\u2019 wealth, while bluntly using their funds as the EU sees fit, including funding of a military industrial complex, without even asking them.
If the EU is accelerating toward totalitarian collectivism, as this statement suggests, then a CBDC would be a powerful tool\u2014enabling tighter control over Europeans\u2019 money with features like an \u201con\/off\u201d switch and programming abilities.<\/p>\n

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If most of your money is still in fiat the bank \/ stocks \/ mortgaged real estate etc. \u2013 they don\u2019t need your permission.
They want you owning nothing, despaired & numb. <\/p>\n

You may want to consider a permissionless, unconfiscatable, easily mobile & liquid digital asset such as\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/K2xjTpcyS7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Efrat Fenigson (@efenigson) March 12, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Christine Lagarde recently campaigned at the European Parliament, arguing that the Digital Euro is necessary to reduce the EU\u2019s dependence on foreign payment solutions. European banks must innovate payment methods, but the EU\u2019s primary concern isn\u2019t just reliance on tech giants like Google Pay or Apple Pay\u2014it\u2019s the potential for widespread adoption of decentralized global protocols like Bitcoin.<\/p>\n

\n

The ECB continues campaigning for the digital Euro, a centralized European payment mechanism \u2013 to ‘decrease dependency on external forces’. #CBDC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ovlkYX0bsQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Efrat Fenigson (@efenigson) March 15, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The ECB is observing geopolitical trends, noting that the U.S. is embracing crypto, Bitcoin, and stablecoins\u2014technologies that pose a risk to centralized control. Unsurprisingly, they are choosing a different path. According to Reuters<\/a>, \u201cEurozone banks need a digital euro to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s push to promote stablecoins\u201d as part of a broader crypto strategy. ECB board member Piero Cipollone reinforced this stance, stating, \u201cThis solution further disintermediates banks as they lose fees, they lose clients\u2026 That\u2019s why we need a digital euro.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bottom line, Lagarde\u2019s and Von der Leyen\u2019s recent agendas are aimed to drive more centralised control while strengthening the EU hierarchy, governance and incentive structure \u2013 that has always been their role.<\/p>\n

New Digital Euro CBDC Survey<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The ECB recently published findings from a survey<\/a> on consumer attitudes toward retail CBDC, conducted among 19,000 Europeans across 11 Eurozone countries. Key takeaways include:<\/p>\n

1) Lack of Interest<\/strong> \u2013 Most Europeans are not interested in the Digital Euro, as existing payment methods already serve their needs well.<\/p>\n

Why would you not adopt the digital euro? source: European Central Bank<\/p>\n

2) Europeans are Open to Propaganda<\/strong> \u2013 While public interest is low, the survey found that Europeans are receptive to video-based education and training. The ECB\u2019s study suggests that CBDC-related videos could drive widespread adoption by reshaping consumer beliefs. The report states: \u201cConsumers who are shown a short video providing concise and clear communication about the key features of the digital euro are substantially more likely to update their beliefs\u2026 which increases their immediate likelihood of adopting it.\u201d No wonder the ECB has ramped up its digital euro video content since late 2024. For example:<\/p>\n

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Propaganda for European CBDC, the digital euro, has began. Be aware. pic.twitter.com\/wStnfrZROZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Efrat Fenigson (@efenigson) November 14, 2024<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

3) Preference for Existing Payment Methods<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cEuropeans have a strong preference for existing payment methods and see no real benefit in a new type of payment system\u201d. While this finding sounds like a positive pushback, it can serve as a precursor to a tactic of technological integrations. \u201cIf you can\u2019t beat them, join them\u201d tactic \u2013 similarly to the Chinese e-CNY retail CBDC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A recent Euromoney article<\/a> highlighted e-CNY\u2019s integration with China\u2019s most popular apps (DiDi, Meituan, Ctrip, WeChat Pay, and Alipay), a move that facilitated its widespread adoption. Despite early struggles, e-CNY now boasts 180 million personal wallet users and a cumulative transaction value of $1 trillion. I recently explored this topic in depth with Roger Huang recently on my podcast<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not Just Retail\u2014Wholesale Too<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On the wholesale CBDC<\/a> front, the EU is experimenting with distributed ledger technology (DLT) to interconnect financial institutions across Europe and beyond. This follows exploratory work conducted by the Eurosystem between May and November 2024. Their trials involved 64 participants\u2014including central banks, financial market players, and DLT platform operators\u2014conducting over 50 experiments.<\/p>\n

\u201cDigital Cash<\/a>\u201c<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lagarde insists that the Digital Euro is a form of cash, gaslighting and misleading uninformed Europeans about the risks of CBDCs. Permission-based CBDCs such as the Digital Euro are prone to micro levels of control through expiry dates, geofencing and programmability. If Europeans don\u2019t recognize these dangers, they won\u2019t resist the Digital Euro. By framing it as \u201cdigital cash<\/a>,\u201d<\/em> the ECB ensures smoother public acceptance with little to no public fuss.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

[2025] Europeans!
Are you ready for \u201cYOUR Digital Euro\u201d?
Christine Lagarde is prepping you to the next phase of EU\u2019s CBDC, which is everything *but* a form of cash (nice try though). pic.twitter.com\/t6mG5liw26<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Efrat Fenigson (@efenigson) January 5, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

To be clear, cash itself is fiat currency<\/strong>\u2014centrally controlled, easily debased, and prone to inflation. Every time the issuer expands the money supply, citizens suffer from declining purchasing power, essentially being robbed by the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cRules for Thee, But Not for Me\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While ordinary citizens are bound by the rule of law, elites often evade consequences. A prime example is Christine Lagarde, who was found guilty of negligence for approving a massive taxpayer-funded payout to controversial French businessman Bernard Tapie. However, she avoided a jail sentence. The Guardian<\/a> reported in 2016: \u201cA French court convicted the head of the International Monetary Fund and former government minister, who had faced a \u20ac15,000 fine and up to a year in prison. But it decided she should not be punished, and that the conviction would not constitute a criminal record. \u2026 The IMF gave her its full support.\u201d<\/p>\n

My Prediction for the EU\u2019s CBDC<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite public disinterest, the ECB (and other central banks) will push forward with their CBDCs. To maintain the illusion of public involvement, they will conduct surveys and create engagement tools. But ultimately, the Digital Euro will be integrated into existing payment methods and consumer apps\u2014just as China did with e-CNY. This strategy will drive adoption even without direct public enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

We are, after all, playing the game of \u201cdemocracy,\u201d right?<\/p>\n

Geopolitical analyst Alex Krainer recently tweeted in response to Lagarde and von der Leyen\u2019s acceleration of CBDC efforts: \u201cThis is excellent news; Christine Lagarde and Ursula von der Leyen never took on something they didn\u2019t completely mess up. I hope they\u2019ll continue with their excellent performance. Godspeed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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This is excellent news; Christine Lagarde and Ursula von der Leyen never took on something they didn’t completely mess up. I hope they’ll continue with their excellent performance. Godspeed. https:\/\/t.co\/vZPmWMS80m<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Alex (Sasha) Krainer (@NakedHedgie) March 15, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Stay tuned as I continue to track central banks\u2019 moves toward CBDC implementation.<\/p>\n

This is a guest post by Efrat Fenigson. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

This post ECB Prepping the Ground for Digital Euro Launch<\/a> first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine<\/a> and is written by Efrat Fenigson<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bitcoin Magazine ECB Prepping the Ground for Digital Euro Launch The European Central Bank (ECB) is laying the groundwork for the probable launch of its wholesale and retail central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Digital Euro. Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, shared this update at their latest press conference. \u201cPresident Lagarde stressed that the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bitcoin"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}