ECB Executive Calls for Central-Bank Money on Blockchain Infrastructure

European Central Bank Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel has called for central banks to explore moving central-bank money onto blockchain infrastructure. According to information shared on X by @WuBlockchain, citing Bloomberg, Schnabel said that distributed ledger technology could help modernize monetary-policy implementation, collateral management and liquidity provision.

The ECB plans to launch its Pontes initiative next month, which aims to connect DLT platforms with existing TARGET services. By connecting DLT-based platforms with established TARGET services, the ECB aims to examine how transactions involving tokenized assets and blockchain-based systems could interact with central-bank infrastructure.

Schnabel's comments indicate that the ECB is not limiting its exploration to a single technological model. Instead, the central bank is assessing different approaches for integrating distributed ledgers into the monetary and financial infrastructure.