European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said September’s 3.8% euro area inflation rate largely reflected high energy costs, which the ECB expects to ease next year. An energy shock is expected to keep euro-area inflation above the bank’s target through the first half of 2027. The ECB is preparing to launch the digital euro to complement cash for day-to-day payments, aiming to stimulate innovation and competition in retail payments. On September 21, the ECB launched Pontes, a system allowing financial institutions to settle wholesale tokenized asset transactions in central bank money as an alternative to private settlement assets such as stablecoins. Full implementation of Pontes is expected by 2028.
Source: Read the original article
