Analysts Express Concern Around Digital Euro Uncertainties

• The European Central Bank (ECB) is set to provide more details about its digital euro plans, cautioning against high initial expectations.
• The ECB plans a two-year investigative phase to determine the core features of a digital euro, emphasizing its immediate usefulness and the ability for further development.

The European Central Bank (ECB) aims to provide more details about its digital euro plans. ECB board member Fabio Panetta cautioned on Thursday against too many expectations initially, stating, “It will not be possible for the digital euro to meet all expectations in every respect from day one. I would like to emphasize that very clearly.”

The ECB plans a two-year investigative phase to determine the core features of a digital euro. Panetta stressed the importance of designing digital currency that is immediately useful and can be further developed “within a reasonable time frame.” A task force is actively exploring use cases and design options for the digital euro.

Last week, Jens Weidmann, the President of the Bundesbank, expressed cautious criticism regarding the digital euro. He suggested a gradual approach, emphasizing the need to evaluate both opportunities and risks.

Weidmann proposed introducing the digital euro with essential features initially, addressing important use cases, and later incorporating additional functions. While recent Bundesbank surveys indicate a growing openness to the idea of a digital euro, Weidmann highlighted a key challenge: the impossibility of providing the same level of anonymity as physical cash. He emphasized the necessity for traceability to combat illegal activities like money laundering.

The European Central Bank (ECB) decided in July to explore the digital euro project further, entering a two-year investigation phase, followed by a three-year implementation phase, with potential introduction in approximately five years. The ECB aims to respond to global digital currency developments while ensuring it remains competitive against private digital currencies like Bitcoin and Facebook’s Diem.

Several Details for Digital Euro Remain Unclear

There are several details regarding the Digital Euro that remain unclear. Some are also curious whether the Digital Euro will have an expiration feature similar to the Digital Yuan.

Citizens are likely to receive digital wallets or apps, known as “wallets,” from banks to store digital euros, although the specific details remain undecided by the central bank. ECB Executive Board member Fabio Panetta and Ulrich Bindseil, Director General for Market Infrastructure and Payments, highlighted multiple technical options in a press conference, emphasizing a probable inclination away from blockchain, similar to Bitcoin, favoring existing systems like Italy’s TIPS for the technical foundation.

Consumer advantages include receiving “digital central bank money,” equivalent to a direct claim against the central bank, offering protection even if the house bank faces bankruptcy. To prevent a mass withdrawal scenario, potential upper limits on digital euros per wallet, such as 3,000 euros, were suggested.

Concerns and controversies within the ECB Council involved the potential disempowerment of European monetary institutions by digital currencies from foreign companies, especially American ones. While some urged a swift European response, others emphasized security over speed, arguing for a thorough examination of its effects on the banking system.

An ECB survey, including 8,000 citizens, raised concerns about anonymity, prompting assurances that the digital euro is intended to complement rather than replace cash, although potential displacement in everyday transactions cannot be ruled out.