The digital euro would be a digital form of cash, issued by the central bank and available to everyone in the euro area.
We are working with the national central banks of the euro area to look into the possible issuance of the digital euro. It would be a central bank digital currency, an electronic equivalent to cash. And it would complement banknotes and coins, giving people an additional choice about how to pay.
Imagine the digital euro
Central bank money in digital form, available for electronic payments in shops, online or from person to person. Explore how it could work.
What you need to know
The digital euro would be an electronic means of payment available free of charge for anyone to use. Like cash today, you could use it anywhere in the euro area, and it would be secure and private. In our increasingly digitalised society, the digital euro would be the next step forward for our single currency.
Currently, there is no European digital payment option that covers the entire euro area, with 13 out of 20 countries reliant on international card schemes for card payments. The digital euro would be a European electronic means of payment accessible and accepted in all euro area countries.
The digital euro would be stored in an account set up with your bank or with a public intermediary. You could pay in digital euro either online or offline, with your phone or a card. This means you could pay in a shop or on a website, or send money to friends, anytime, and anywhere.
We aim to be ready for a potential first issuance of the digital euro during 2029, assuming the necessary EU legislation is adopted in the course of 2026.
The digital euro in relation to...
... privacy
The digital euro would offer people and businesses in the euro area a payment solution with the highest privacy standards. The ECB and the Eurosystem would not be able to identify who you are or what you are buying from the payment data we get.
… crypto-assets
Crypto-assets are not backed or managed by any central institution. There is no guarantee that you can exchange them for cash when you need to. As the digital euro would be backed by a central bank, it would not be a crypto-asset. Central banks have a mandate to maintain the value of money, whether it is physical or digital.
…private solutions
The digital euro is intended to complement cash and existing private sector solutions. By engaging with market stakeholders (payment service providers, merchants and consumers), we’re ensuring it will fit smoothly into the existing payments ecosystem and work well with what’s already in place.
Read the Fit of the digital euro in the payment ecosystem report
The ECB Podcast
Like cash, but digital: the facts behind the digital euro
What is the digital euro, and how would it work? Don’t we already pay digitally? We separate fact from fiction as Stefania Secola teams up with Aidas Palubinskas from EU Finance Podcast to speak to Executive Board member Piero Cipollone about modernising our money.
The digital euro, demystified
We are preparing for the possibility of issuing the digital euro. This is fuelling a lot of interest − and misconceptions – despite the fact that no decision has yet been taken. Our host Stefania Secola and digital euro project head Evelien Witlox debunk some myths.
The digital euro: what, why, when? (parts 1 and 2)
Do we need the digital euro, and why? What might it look like? And how would it differ from other means of payment? Our host Katie Ranger puts these questions to digital euro expert Evelien Witlox.
Dive deeper
Extensive cooperation with a broad range of stakeholders, including market participants, legislators, public authorities and European citizens, will ensure that the digital euro meets users’ needs.
The digital euro project is supported by extensive documentation and detailed analyses of the work taking place, and the insights which have informed it. Use our dedicated documents and research page to read up on topics that interest you.
Ensuring transparency and accountability
We are committed to maintaining transparency and accountability in the digital euro project. We support the legislative process by providing technical input. ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone also regularly updates the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
LATEST PUBLICATIONS ON THE DIGITAL EURO
FIND THEM HERE