Lagarde Calls for Rapid Digital Euro Rollout After Rate Pause

Published at 2025-12-18 18:30:34

The ECB says it has finished the technical and preparatory groundwork for a European public digital currency and is pressing legislators to act swiftly. Christine Lagarde highlighted growing worries about the proliferation of global stablecoins, positioning the digital euro as a regulated alternative that could protect monetary sovereignty and reduce reliance on private payment assets.

Coming on the heels of the ECB's rate pause, the call for rapid rollout signals a policy shift toward securing the euro area’s digital payments infrastructure. If lawmakers approve the next steps, the move could accelerate pilot phases and shape how banks, regulators and crypto firms adapt—affecting payments efficiency, financial stability and the regulatory landscape for stablecoins across Europe.

Digital EuroECBStablecoinsPaymentsCentral Bank Digital Currency

Share on:

Russia’s Finance Ministry says the executive branch will begin making budget payments in the digital ruble as early as this year, ahead of a full-scale rollout planned for the second half of next year.

Digital RubleCBDCRussiaPaymentsCentral BankFinance Ministry

Published at 2025-12-19 20:01:13

EU Council Backs Digital Euro for Both Online and Offline Use

The EU Council on Friday endorsed a negotiating stance for a digital euro that would support both online and offline use, reversing earlier Parliament proposals that favored offline-only functionality. The decision moves the project into interinstitutional talks where technical, privacy and resilience trade-offs will be debated.

CBDCDigital EuroEU CouncilPaymentsEuropean Parliament

Published at 2025-12-19 18:45:55

SWIFT Advances Blockchain Ledger Integration into Global Payments Network

SWIFT has advanced plans to integrate a blockchain-based ledger into its payment network, collaborating with major international banks to enable real-time transaction validation and smart contract enforcement for tokenized assets.

PaymentsTokenizationBlockchainSmart Contracts

Published at 2025-12-19 17:46:15

JPMorgan Says Stablecoin Growth Will Mirror Crypto, Won't Reach $1T by 2028

JPMorgan predicts stablecoin expansion will track the broader crypto market and does not expect the sector to hit $1 trillion by 2028. The bank says demand is primarily driven by trading needs, indicating slower adoption for payments and other real‑world uses.

TradingStablecoinsJPMorganCrypto MarketDeFi

Published at 2025-12-19 05:15:14

Coinbase Adds Blik Payments in Poland via PPro Partnership

Coinbase has integrated Poland’s Blik mobile payments through PPro, enabling faster and simpler fiat-to-crypto flows for Polish users. The move improves on- and off-ramps despite ongoing delays in local regulatory progress.