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
Ask the ECB Forum: defence, tariffs and AI – insights from top experts
The ECB Podcast
22 minutes 6 seconds
4 months ago
Ask the ECB Forum: defence, tariffs and AI – insights from top experts
Can an increase in defence spending affect investments in green energy and digital infrastructure? What do US tariff threats mean for the ECB? How does the ECB support smaller countries in the Eurosystem? And is AI an opportunity or a risk for the financial future?
In the last episode of our Sintra series, our host Stefania Secola takes us on a walk around the ECB Forum and gets top experts to answer your questions.
The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank.
Published on 9 July 2025 and recorded during the ECB Forum on Central Banking in Sintra between 30 June and 2 July 2025.
In this episode:
02:05 Defence spending
Can an increase in defence spending affect investments in green energy and digital infrastructure?
08:08 Tariffs
How do US tariff threats affect the economy? What do they mean for the ECB? And what are the opportunities for Europe?
14:14 Smaller vs. bigger economies in the Eurosystem
Does the ECB prioritise bigger economies over smaller ones? Do smaller countries, such as Slovenia, benefit from the ECB’s monetary policy?
18:55 Artificial intelligence
Is AI an opportunity or a risk for the financial future?
Further readings:
Gensler, G., Johnson, S., Panizza, U. and Weder di Mauro, B.: The Economic Consequences of The Second Trump Administration: A Preliminary Assessment
https://cepr.org/publications/books-and-reports/economic-consequences-second-trump-administration-preliminary
The ECB Podcast: AI: economic game changer or job taker?
https://soundcloud.com/europeancentralbank/ai-economic-game-changer-or-job-taker
ECB Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/europeancentralbank/
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
