The digital euro is moving toward real-world testing, but this is not yet a launch for the general public.
In an interview published on 24/10/2026, Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB’s Executive Board, said the 2027 pilot programme would use real transactions by ECB staff and national central banks.
Thirty-six market participants are involved in preparations. The ECB is also inviting e-commerce and mobile commerce businesses to take part in the testing.
One distinction to keep in mind: the 2027 test is different from the possibility of issuing the digital euro from 2029. A decision to issue it will only be made after the legislative process is complete.
According to Cipollone, the goal is to give Europeans another payment option and reduce reliance on external infrastructure.
My take: when following crypto and stablecoins, I also need to pay attention to how central banks are building digital money infrastructure. Competition in payments will come down to convenience, cost, privacy, and the ability to keep working when systems run into problems.
For crypto projects, what’s worth watching is which solutions people actually choose to pay and transfer money. A CBDC plan does not automatically create more demand for tokens in the market.
I’ll wait for the test results and a concrete legal framework before assessing the broader impact.
What do you think will determine whether people switch how they pay: low fees, convenience, or privacy?
Source: ECB, interview with Milano Finanza published on 24/10/2026, conducted on 21/10.
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/inter/date/2026/html/ecb.in261024~ee2ba73cf3.en.html
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In an interview published on 24/10/2026, Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB’s Executive Board, said the 2027 pilot programme would use real transactions by ECB staff and national central banks.
Thirty-six market participants are involved in preparations. The ECB is also inviting e-commerce and mobile commerce businesses to take part in the testing.
One distinction to keep in mind: the 2027 test is different from the possibility of issuing the digital euro from 2029. A decision to issue it will only be made after the legislative process is complete.
According to Cipollone, the goal is to give Europeans another payment option and reduce reliance on external infrastructure.
My take: when following crypto and stablecoins, I also need to pay attention to how central banks are building digital money infrastructure. Competition in payments will come down to convenience, cost, privacy, and the ability to keep working when systems run into problems.
For crypto projects, what’s worth watching is which solutions people actually choose to pay and transfer money. A CBDC plan does not automatically create more demand for tokens in the market.
I’ll wait for the test results and a concrete legal framework before assessing the broader impact.
What do you think will determine whether people switch how they pay: low fees, convenience, or privacy?
Source: ECB, interview with Milano Finanza published on 24/10/2026, conducted on 21/10.
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/inter/date/2026/html/ecb.in261024~ee2ba73cf3.en.html
$BTC $ETH $BNB
