The digital euro would be a digital means of payment. It would be issued by the euro area central banks – just like euro banknotes. All members of the general public could use the digital euro. Euro area central banks would thus provide the public with a means of payment that they could use quickly, easily and securely in addition to cash. 

A digital euro will always be a euro. Ten digital euro would therefore always be worth exactly the same as a €10 banknote. This is because the digital euro, just like banknotes, would be issued by the euro area central banks. The digital euro would enable payments in the euro area between individuals, in shops, in e-commerce and at authorities. No other digital payment instrument offers all these features. The digital euro would fill this gap. It would also work offline – i.e. without a network connection. Moreover, the digital euro would play a key role in preserving European sovereignty: it would be the first and only electronic means of payment based on a European infrastructure that people could use seamlessly throughout the euro area. As geopolitical tensions increase, this will make us here in Europe less dependent on non-European payment service providers and strengthen the resilience of our infrastructures.