Frequently asked questions

The digital euro would be a digital form of central bank money issued by the European Central Bank (ECB) for use across the euro area. It is designed to work alongside euro cash rather than replace it, and would be usable for everyday payments in shops, online and between people. Like a banknote, one digital euro would always be worth one euro.

Source: European Central Bank · Reviewed August 2026

No. As of August 2026 the digital euro does not exist and cannot be used or held by the public. EU lawmakers in the European Parliament and the Council are still negotiating the Digital Euro Regulation, and the ECB is running a preparation phase. No launch date has been confirmed.

Source: European Central Bank · Reviewed August 2026

No. The digital euro would be public money issued and backed by the European Central Bank, not a privately issued crypto asset. Its value would be fixed at one digital euro to one euro, so it would not fluctuate like Bitcoin and it is not an investment product. It is also not a stablecoin, which is issued by private companies.

Source: European Central Bank · Reviewed August 2026

No. The European Commission's proposal explicitly protects euro cash as legal tender and was published alongside a separate law strengthening acceptance of cash across the euro area. The digital euro is intended as an additional option, so people who prefer notes and coins can keep using them.

Source: European Commission · Reviewed August 2026

Under the stated design the ECB would not have visibility of individual users' personal transaction data. Your bank or payment provider would handle onboarding and identity checks, as it does today, and would remain subject to normal EU data protection and anti-money-laundering rules. Offline digital euro payments are designed to be private between payer and payee, similar to cash.

Source: European Central Bank · Reviewed August 2026

No. Nobody can sell you a digital euro, grant you early access, or take a deposit, because the digital euro does not exist yet and would be issued only by the ECB through supervised banks and payment providers. Any website, message or caller offering digital euro wallets, tokens or pre-registration is a scam. Never share bank details or identity documents with them.

Source: BEUC (The European Consumer Organisation) · Reviewed August 2026

A holding limit is part of the proposal, intended to protect bank funding and financial stability by stopping large-scale shifts of deposits into central bank money. The exact figure has not been set and would be decided by the ECB within the framework agreed by lawmakers. Public discussion has centred on limits in the low thousands of euro per person.

Source: Council of the EU · Reviewed August 2026

The design includes an offline mode intended to work without an internet connection, for example between two phones or cards in close range. Offline payments would settle directly between the two devices and, like cash, would not be visible to your payment provider. Offline balances would be subject to their own lower limits.

Source: European Central Bank · Reviewed August 2026

No. For individuals it would be one payment option alongside cash, cards, bank transfers and existing apps, and nobody would be required to open a digital euro account. The proposal does include rules requiring many merchants who already accept electronic payments to accept it, but that obligation applies to businesses, not to consumers.

Source: European Commission · Reviewed August 2026

The proposal includes basic digital euro services provided through public entities such as post offices, so people without a bank account or without digital skills are not excluded. Basic services would be free of charge for private individuals, and support for opening and using an account would be available in person.

Source: European Commission · Reviewed August 2026

Two separate decisions are needed. First the EU must adopt the Digital Euro Regulation, which requires agreement between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Only after that law is in force can the ECB's Governing Council decide whether and when to issue a digital euro, followed by a build and testing period.

Source: European Parliament · Reviewed August 2026

Use primary sources: the ECB's digital euro pages, the Council's digital euro policy page, and your own national central bank, which publishes updates in your language. This site also offers an RSS feed and a calendar file of scheduled milestones so you get dated updates without relying on social media claims.

Source: European Central Bank · Reviewed August 2026