In a keynote at a conference in Tirana on 5 November 2026, Piero Cipollone, Member of the ECB Executive Board, argued that central banks must ensure the money they issue remains fit for the future by providing a trusted public foundation on which private innovation can flourish. The Eurosystem has adopted a comprehensive payments strategy with four objectives, and Western Balkan countries are integrating payments, with Albania already joining the Single Euro Payments Area and a clone of the TIPS fast payment system operational in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. He outlined four initiatives: modernising euro banknotes, developing a digital euro, settling tokenised asset transactions in central bank money, and interlinking fast payment systems. He stressed that cash remains the most resilient form of payment, with more than 31 billion euro banknotes worth over €1.6 trillion in circulation, and next-generation banknotes will feature enhanced security and a smaller environmental impact.
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EUR/USD
• NeutralRelevance: low
| Market | Currencies |
|---|---|
| Close on 11/04/2026 | 1.12293 |
| Change that session | +0.33% |
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