# ECB pursues digital euro and Pontes wholesale project

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/ecb-launch-of-pontes-blockchain-settlement-service
> Updated: 2026-10-12T17:00:00.000Z. Sources: 14. Developments: 3.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is pursuing a dual strategy to expand the reach of central bank money through both wholesale and retail initiatives. While the Pontes project focuses on wholesale tokenized finance, the ECB is also developing a proposed digital euro for retail use.

The digital euro is intended for person-to-person transactions, e-commerce, and in-store purchases. Although not yet approved, the ECB is targeting a potential first issuance in 2029, contingent upon EU legislation being finalized by late 2026. A pilot program for the digital euro is scheduled for the second half of 2027. Under this proposal, the digital euro would not pay interest, and individual holdings would be subject to specific limits.

Complementing this retail focus, the Pontes service—launched on September 21—serves to connect distributed ledger technology (DLT) platforms with Eurosystem services. Designed for banks, market infrastructures, and investors, Pontes aims for full implementation by mid-2028, with goals to provide 24/7 service, enhanced resilience, and multi-currency capabilities for wholesale applications.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-12: European Central Bank pursues digital euro and Pontes wholesale project

The ECB is advancing a dual digital currency strategy: a retail digital euro for payments and the Pontes project for wholesale tokenized finance, targeting potential issuance and implementation by 2028-2029.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/european-central-bank-pursues-digital-euro-and-pontes-wholesale-project

### 2026-09-28: European Central Bank launches Pontes digital finance infrastructure

The European Central Bank has launched Pontes, a wholesale digital infrastructure to connect public money with digital registries for inter-bank transactions and tokenized assets.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/european-central-bank-launches-pontes-digital-finance-infrastructure

### 2026-09-26: European Central Bank launches Pontes blockchain settlement service

The European Central Bank launched Pontes, a service linking blockchain platforms to TARGET payment services to settle tokenized assets using central bank money.

9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/european-central-bank-expands-payment-reach-via-brazil-link-and-blockchain-platform

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Cite as: ECB pursues digital euro and Pontes wholesale project. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/ecb-launch-of-pontes-blockchain-settlement-service