Pontes, the digital euro for banks, goes live on 21 September

Brussels – On Monday 21 September, the European Central Bank will launch Pontes, the digital euro for banks, ECB President Christine Lagarde announced at the conclusion of the Eurogroup meeting. The new payment platform will be accessible and usable only by credit institutions, and marks the start of the pilot phase for the introduction of the digital euro. Lagarde stressed that the ECB is now awaiting the completion of the EU’s legislative process to meet the deadline and “test the pilot phase in mid-2027.”