ECB President: Digital Euro Nears Launch, Eurozone Economy Shows Resilience

Odaily reported: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde stated that the eurozone's September inflation rate was 3.8%, mainly affected by high energy costs, and the ECB expects related pressures to ease next year.

She pointed out that the energy shock may keep eurozone inflation above the ECB's target until the first half of 2027, but the current prudent policy response remains appropriate.

Christine Lagarde stated that the ECB is preparing the digital euro for daily retail payments and as a digital complement to cash. She noted that the digital euro will further promote innovation and competition in the retail payment sector.

The ECB has launched Pontes, allowing financial institutions to use central bank money to settle wholesale tokenized asset transactions; the system initially provides core services and is expected to be fully implemented by 2028. (Cointelegraph)