Italy Pushes for Zero Fees on Low-Value Digital Euro Transactions
Italy's delegation proposed limiting merchant fees for digital euro transactions under €10 to a maximum of €0.02 or setting them to zero, according to recent European Central Bank (ECB) reports.
The proposal was introduced in Brussels within the tripartite negotiations on the legal framework for this digital currency issued by the ECB.
Small businesses face processing costs 3 to 4 times higher than large chains, which is being used as an argument for state intervention by the European Central Bank.
The European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission have scheduled the continuation of the tripartite dialogues for the end of 2026, with the final drafting of the monetary regulation to be defined before the start of the issuance phase estimated by the ECB for 2029.