Overview
- Danmarks Nationalbank now advises households to keep about 250 kroner per person in small notes and coins after a July network failure halted most card payments and power cuts in Spain, Portugal and parts of France exposed vulnerabilities.
- The Bundesbank says EU trilogue talks on the digital euro are expected next year, with the Eurosystem needing roughly 2.5–3 years to launch after legislation, while Parliament’s ECON rapporteur is due to present a draft on October 24.
- Current design discussions include an offline wallet that can hold up to roughly €300 and potential holding limits ranging from about €800 to €10,000, with around €3,000 frequently cited.
- The ECB challenges banking-sector cost fears, estimating digital-euro integration at €4–5.77 billion versus the PwC-backed €18–30 billion projection, citing shared platforms and service providers for efficiencies.
- Parallel cash developments include ECB planning for a new euro banknote series likely from 2028 and reports that serial-number reading by machines and private databases enables after-the-fact tracing of notes, raising privacy questions.