In a significant move towards digitization, the European Central Bank (ECB) under the leadership of Christine Lagarde has proposed a legal structure for the introduction of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) across the 20 member states of the Eurozone. The ECB aims to roll out the digital euro by 2027, as reported on Friday.
The digital euro, unlike traditional banknotes, will not offer complete anonymity, according to Lagarde. Her statement raised concerns among Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) over user data privacy. To address these worries, Lagarde clarified that while commercial banks—acting as conduits for the digital euro—would have access to transaction data, the ECB itself would not be privy to such details.
This proposal marks a significant step in the ECB's efforts to modernize and digitize currency across the Eurozone. While it acknowledges potential privacy concerns, it also maintains a clear delineation between commercial banks' access to transaction data and ECB's role in managing the digital currency. As this process unfolds, further clarification and discussion on data privacy and management are expected in order to ensure user trust and smooth implementation of the digital euro by 2027.
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