Experimental work conducted by the ECB over the past nine months found no major technical obstacles to any of the assessed design options for both the Target Instant Payments Settlement System and alternatives such as blockchain. The experiments also suggested that architectures combining centralized and decentralized elements are possible. “It has been nine months since we published our report on a digital euro. In that time, we have carried out further analysis, sought input from citizens and professionals, and conducted some experiments, with encouraging results. All of this has led us to decide to move up a gear and start the digital euro project”, says ECB President Christine Lagarde. “Our work aims to ensure that in the digital age citizens and firms continue to have access to the safest form of money, central bank money”.

https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/38457/european-central-bank-green-lights-digital-euro-investigation