The European Central Bank (ECB) is working on the preparatory phase of the digital euro to make it as close to cash as possible in terms of privacy, safety, and accessibility — yet stakeholders remain concerned about its design and necessity.
ADVERTISEMENTIn recent years, and especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, digital payments and online shopping have increased in the euro area, while cash has fallen as a total share of payments from 72% to 59% between 2019 and 2022 and the number of banknotes in circulation fell for the…
