Our payment habits are changing. With digital payments on the rise, we need to preserve people’s freedom to choose how to pay: there’s cash, card, online transfers – and soon, we could have a digital euro.
But what is the digital euro, and how will it work? Will it replace cash? Concerns about data security and government control have sparked debate around the digital euro, often fuelled by disinformation.
We separate fact from fiction as our host Stefania Secola teams up with Aidas Palubinskas from EU Finance Podcast to speak to Executive Board member Piero Cipollone about modernising our money.
The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank.
Recorded on 4 November 2025 and published on 13 November 2025.
In this episode:
02:18 The digital what?
What is the digital euro, and how will it work in practice? Don’t we already pay digitally?
13:48 What will happen to cash?
Would introducing the digital euro mean the end of cash? And could it take away business from banks and other financial service providers?
16:25 How secure would the digital euro be really?
What about hackers? Will our money be safe, and will the digital euro affect the integrity of the payments system?
19:31 Did someone say Big Brother?
Will central banks, governments and other authorities have access to our data ? How private will our payments really be?
24:52 When will we have a digital euro?
Where are we in the process and what are the next steps? How are EU institutions like the European Commission and the European Parliament involved in the digital euro project?
29:17 Our guests’ hot tips
Piero Cipollone shares his hot tip.
EU Finance Podcast – the future of finance
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/eu-finance-podcast-future-finance_en
Digital euro
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/digital_euro/html/index.en.html
President Lagarde explains the next digital euro phase
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQd60z9jfjV/?igsh=MTV2OW4zNXp5cHJvNA==
The ECB Podcast: The digital euro, demystified https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/tvservices/podcast/html/ecb.pod231024_episode71.en.html
Press release: Eurosystem moving to next phase of digital euro project, 30 October 2025
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2025/html/ecb.pr251030~8c5b5beef0.en.html
The ECB Blog: Making euro cash fit for the future https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2025/html/ecb.blog20250804~9d3993abe0.en.html
Fit of the digital euro in the payment ecosystem https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/digital_euro/timeline/profuse/shared/pdf/ecb.deprep251030_digital_euro_fit_payment_ecosystem_report.en.pdf
All content for The ECB Podcast is the property of European Central Bank and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Our payment habits are changing. With digital payments on the rise, we need to preserve people’s freedom to choose how to pay: there’s cash, card, online transfers – and soon, we could have a digital euro.
But what is the digital euro, and how will it work? Will it replace cash? Concerns about data security and government control have sparked debate around the digital euro, often fuelled by disinformation.
We separate fact from fiction as our host Stefania Secola teams up with Aidas Palubinskas from EU Finance Podcast to speak to Executive Board member Piero Cipollone about modernising our money.
The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank.
Recorded on 4 November 2025 and published on 13 November 2025.
In this episode:
02:18 The digital what?
What is the digital euro, and how will it work in practice? Don’t we already pay digitally?
13:48 What will happen to cash?
Would introducing the digital euro mean the end of cash? And could it take away business from banks and other financial service providers?
16:25 How secure would the digital euro be really?
What about hackers? Will our money be safe, and will the digital euro affect the integrity of the payments system?
19:31 Did someone say Big Brother?
Will central banks, governments and other authorities have access to our data ? How private will our payments really be?
24:52 When will we have a digital euro?
Where are we in the process and what are the next steps? How are EU institutions like the European Commission and the European Parliament involved in the digital euro project?
29:17 Our guests’ hot tips
Piero Cipollone shares his hot tip.
EU Finance Podcast – the future of finance
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/eu-finance-podcast-future-finance_en
Digital euro
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/digital_euro/html/index.en.html
President Lagarde explains the next digital euro phase
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQd60z9jfjV/?igsh=MTV2OW4zNXp5cHJvNA==
The ECB Podcast: The digital euro, demystified https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/tvservices/podcast/html/ecb.pod231024_episode71.en.html
Press release: Eurosystem moving to next phase of digital euro project, 30 October 2025
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2025/html/ecb.pr251030~8c5b5beef0.en.html
The ECB Blog: Making euro cash fit for the future https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2025/html/ecb.blog20250804~9d3993abe0.en.html
Fit of the digital euro in the payment ecosystem https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/digital_euro/timeline/profuse/shared/pdf/ecb.deprep251030_digital_euro_fit_payment_ecosystem_report.en.pdf
Adapting to change: Ensuring price stability in a new geopolitical era
The ECB Podcast
18 minutes 35 seconds
5 months ago
Adapting to change: Ensuring price stability in a new geopolitical era
How does geopolitical uncertainty affect inflation? How do we keep monetary policy fit for purpose in a rapidly changing world? And what are the main topics at this year’s ECB Forum in Sintra, Portugal?
In the first episode of our special Sintra series for The ECB Podcast, our host Paul Gordon discusses all these questions and more with Chief Economist and Executive Board member, Philip R. Lane.
The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank.
Published on 25 June 2025 and recorded on 16 June 2025.
In this episode:
01:28 The ECB Governing Council lowered key interest rates to 2%.
What was the motivation behind the decision?
04:30 How do we ensure that risks and uncertainties are integrated into the monetary policy decision-making process?
What is our baseline? What factors need to be taken into account?
06:44 Alternative scenarios in the latest projections
Why do we communicate our “what if” scenarios?
08:11 Meeting-by-meeting, data-dependent approach
Why do we follow this approach?
09:50 Strategy review
How can we make sure our strategy is up to date?
12:02 High-level uncertainty
How do we factor heightened uncertainty in our strategy?
13:50 ECB Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal
What is the ECB Forum and what’s behind it? What’s the goal of the Forum? What’s Philip R. Lane looking forward to?
16:53 Our guest’s hot tip
Philip R. Lane shares his hot tip.
Programme of ECB Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/conferences/html/20250630_ecb_forum_on_central_banking.en.html
Ken Rogoff "Our dollar, your problem"
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300275315/our-dollar-your-problem/
ECB Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/europeancentralbank/
European Central Bank
www.ecb.europa.eu
ECB Banking Supervision
https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html
The ECB Podcast
Our payment habits are changing. With digital payments on the rise, we need to preserve people’s freedom to choose how to pay: there’s cash, card, online transfers – and soon, we could have a digital euro.
But what is the digital euro, and how will it work? Will it replace cash? Concerns about data security and government control have sparked debate around the digital euro, often fuelled by disinformation.
We separate fact from fiction as our host Stefania Secola teams up with Aidas Palubinskas from EU Finance Podcast to speak to Executive Board member Piero Cipollone about modernising our money.
The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank.
Recorded on 4 November 2025 and published on 13 November 2025.
In this episode:
02:18 The digital what?
What is the digital euro, and how will it work in practice? Don’t we already pay digitally?
13:48 What will happen to cash?
Would introducing the digital euro mean the end of cash? And could it take away business from banks and other financial service providers?
16:25 How secure would the digital euro be really?
What about hackers? Will our money be safe, and will the digital euro affect the integrity of the payments system?
19:31 Did someone say Big Brother?
Will central banks, governments and other authorities have access to our data ? How private will our payments really be?
24:52 When will we have a digital euro?
Where are we in the process and what are the next steps? How are EU institutions like the European Commission and the European Parliament involved in the digital euro project?
29:17 Our guests’ hot tips
Piero Cipollone shares his hot tip.
EU Finance Podcast – the future of finance
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/eu-finance-podcast-future-finance_en
Digital euro
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/digital_euro/html/index.en.html
President Lagarde explains the next digital euro phase
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQd60z9jfjV/?igsh=MTV2OW4zNXp5cHJvNA==
The ECB Podcast: The digital euro, demystified https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/tvservices/podcast/html/ecb.pod231024_episode71.en.html
Press release: Eurosystem moving to next phase of digital euro project, 30 October 2025
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2025/html/ecb.pr251030~8c5b5beef0.en.html
The ECB Blog: Making euro cash fit for the future https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2025/html/ecb.blog20250804~9d3993abe0.en.html
Fit of the digital euro in the payment ecosystem https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/digital_euro/timeline/profuse/shared/pdf/ecb.deprep251030_digital_euro_fit_payment_ecosystem_report.en.pdf
