Global: EU Considers Public Blockchain Integration for Digital Euro Rollout

European Union (EU) policymakers are weighing the possibility of issuing the digital euro on public blockchains such as Ethereum or Solana, as momentum builds around the bloc’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project. The debate has intensified following the passage of the Genius Act in the United States, which paves the way for wider adoption of dollar-backed stablecoins in cross-border payments.

Over the past year, urgency surrounding the digital euro has grown amid heightened geopolitical tensions. Concerns include Europe’s heavy dependence on U.S. financial infrastructure providers like Mastercard and Visa, as well as the policy direction of the Trump administration, which has taken an increasingly assertive stance on global payments dominance.

According to the Financial Times, the U.S. stablecoin legislation caught EU officials off-guard and further underscored the risk of America tightening its grip on the global payments ecosystem. In response, Europe is seeking to accelerate development of its own CBDC to ensure monetary sovereignty and reduce reliance on external networks.

Historically, the European Central Bank (ECB) has leaned toward developing the digital euro on a private, centrally controlled infrastructure to safeguard privacy, security, and financial stability. However, the growing competitiveness of dollar-denominated stablecoins is prompting fresh consideration of public blockchain integration as a way to enhance global interoperability, improve adoption, and strengthen Europe’s position in digital finance.

If adopted, a public blockchain-based digital euro could mark a paradigm shift—balancing the ECB’s regulatory oversight with the transparency, programmability, and cross-border efficiency offered by open networks. Policymakers argue this approach would make the digital euro a more compelling alternative to stablecoins, while still maintaining compliance safeguards such as anti-money laundering (AML) and consumer protection mechanisms.

The debate signals a critical juncture for Europe’s financial future: whether to preserve the controlled stability of a closed CBDC system or embrace the openness of public blockchain technology to compete in an increasingly digital and geopolitically charged payments landscape.