The European Central Bank[1] (ECB) has launched an online survey[2] that enables consumers and industry experts to express their priorities, preferences and concerns about the issuance of a digital euro as a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and means of payment in the euro area.
ECB president Christine Lagarde announced the survey in a tweet and short video[3], saying: “We are still in the review and consideration stage, but we’ve just launched a public consultation so that consumers and Europeans can actually express their preference and tell us whether they would be happy to use a digital euro just in the way they use a euro coin or a euro banknote, knowing that it is central bank money that is available and that they can rely upon.”
Consumers taking part in the survey are asked to rank the features a digital euro should offer in order of importance, identify challenges that might prevent them from using it and indicate what user features would ensure it “is accessible for people of all ages, including those who do not have a bank account or [who] have disabilities”.
The survey also describes two approaches to how a digital euro might work: “one that requires intermediaries to process the payment and one that doesn’t”.
“If we design a digital euro that has no need for the central bank or an intermediary to be involved in the processing of every single payment, this means that using a digital euro would feel closer to cash payments, but in digital form – you would be able to use the digital euro even when not connected to the internet, and your privacy and
