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ECB digital currency and DLT integration

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-09-21 11:13 UTC → 2026-09-21 13:38 UTC · added removed

The European Central Bank (ECB) has begun implementing strategies to integrate central bank money with distributed ledger technology (DLT) to modernize financial services. Initially, ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel advocated for the on-chaining of central bank money to enable programmable payments and efficient collateral management. This effort is part of the long-term Project Appia vision to create a unified architecture for tokenized markets in Europe and to maintain monetary sovereignty against the potential dominance of dollar-pegged stablecoins. On September 21, 2026, the Eurosystem officially launched the Pontes platform. This wholesale system connects DLT platforms with the existing TARGET payment infrastructure, allowing financial institutions to settle the cash leg of blockchain-based transactions using risk-free central bank euros. Initial participants include thirteen banks, such as Deutsche Bank and Bank, Santander, Société Générale, and four KfW, as well as the European Investment Bank. Four DLT operators, including Clearstream and Axiology. Axiology, are also onboarded; Axiology utilizes infrastructure derived from XRP Ledger technology for its asset leg. The platform currently operates during TARGET business hours, with plans to move toward 24/7 multi-currency settlement by mid-2028. To support the ecosystem, the ECB announced it will invest a small portion of its €23 billion own funds portfolio—specifically less than €100 million—into highly rated euro-denominated tokenized public sector and supranational securities via Pontes. Separately, the ECB has initiated preparations for a retail digital euro. This includes a call for interest from e-commerce and mobile-commerce merchants to participate in a pilot program scheduled for the second half of 2027, which will utilize a beta version of the currency to test technical integration in commercial environments.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-21 13:38 UTC ECB digital currency and DLT integration
  2. 2026-09-21 11:13 UTC ECB digital currency and DLT integration
  3. 2026-09-21 10:34 UTC ECB digital currency and DLT integration

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