ECB’s Piero Cipollone Pushes Digital Euro Timeline to 2029

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: September 25, 2025

Key Takeaways

ECB’s Piero Cipollone said the digital euro is unlikely to launch before mid-2029, mainly due to political and legislative delays;
The European Parliament must approve new laws before the project can proceed, with a formal stance expected by May 2026;
While EU finance ministers agreed on basic rules, the ECB will assess progress in October to decide on advancing development.

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Piero Cipollone, a member of the European Central Bank’s Executive Board, has suggested that the digital euro is unlikely to launch before the middle of 2029.

Speaking at a financial conference hosted by Bloomberg in Frankfurt, Cipollone stated that the political and legislative steps still needed before a formal rollout can take place.

He noted that the delay is mainly due to the need for approval from the European Parliament. Without legal backing from lawmakers, the project cannot move forward. EU member states are currently working toward reaching a shared position by the end of this year.

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The Parliament is expected to take its own position on the matter, which is possibly by May 2026.

Although the ECB continues its technical planning, key political discussions remain ahead. One of the main developments recently occurred when finance ministers from across the EU agreed on guidelines for the digital euro. This included a proposal to set limits on the amount of digital euros individuals can hold.

Paschal Donohoe, Ireland’s Finance Minister and President of the Eurogroup, explained that before the ECB could make any final call on issuing the currency, ministers would need to have a full discussion within the Council.

Despite the extended timeline, the ECB plans to decide in October whether the project is ready to move from its current investigation phase to more advanced development.

The ECB recently promoted its plan for a digital euro, but not everyone is on board. What did Cipollone say? Read the full story.