ECB deploys Pontes platform to settle wholesale tokenized assets in central-bank money
The EU central bank's new wholesale platform connects DLT market infrastructure to its payment rails, separate from the retail digital euro pilot planned for 2027.
Source: CoinDesk
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DW NOTE
The ECB just launched a wholesale settlement rail for tokenized assets using central-bank money — not a retail CBDC, not a digital euro for consumers, but plumbing for banks to move tokenized bonds and securities without relying on stablecoins or commercial-bank deposits. Lagarde called it "a digital euro made available for banks," which is technically correct but rhetorically misleading: this is infrastructure for institutions, not currency for citizens. The retail digital euro pilot doesn't start until late 2027, with possible issuance in 2029 — meaning Europe's central bank has built the rails for wholesale finance before it's built anything the public can use.