Christine Lagarde: ECB advances digital euro pilot and tokenized asset settlement infrastructure
Christine Lagarde: IMFC Statement
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ECB President Christine Lagarde said that the Eurosystem plans to conduct a 12-month internal pilot of the digital euro in the second half of 2027, with implementation depending on the passage of digital euro legislation by the end of 2026. In wholesale payments, the Eurosystem’s DLT solution Pontes went live on September 21 to support settlement in central bank money for tokenized asset transactions; Appia plans to further advance a blueprint for a tokenized ecosystem based on common standards, shared network infrastructure, and European governance.
The material covers both the digital euro retail payments pilot and tokenized asset settlement capabilities, presenting two development paths for central bank money to adapt to digital payments and financial markets.
Source:European Central Bank · ecb.europa.eu