In an interview with FOCUS online, Bundesbank Executive Board member Burkhard Balz explains why the digital euro is necessary and the challenges involved. Our objective as Eurosystem central banks is to launch a pilot operation in mid-2027. As before, we still expect the digital euro to go live in 2029, Mr Balz said.

TARGET2-Securities (T2S) is the name of the Eurosystem project to offer a new, harmonised and centralised method of settling securities in central bank money.

The G7 is an informal club of seven of the world's most advanced industrial economies (Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom). The Bundesbank has a particular interest in issues concerning the policies pursued by international financial institutions and the stability and integrity of the international financial and monetary system.

The Bundesbank brings its expertise to numerous European and international bodies and organisations in which issues concerning financial stability and the financial and monetary system are analysed and policy measures are coordinated.

The G20 is currently considered the main forum for international economic cooperation and is therefore at the heart of multilateral financial diplomacy. Since its inception in 1999, the G20 has primarily focused on managing financial crises, strengthening the financial sectors of emerging market countries, enhancing the Bretton Woods institutions and developing growth strategies.