Italy Pushes for Low-Fee Digital Euro Transactions

Italy has proposed limiting merchant fees for digital euro transactions under €10 to a maximum of €0.02 or setting them to zero.

The proposal, presented by Italy's delegation in Brussels within the tripartite negotiations on the legal framework for the digital currency issued by the European Central Bank (ECB), aims to alleviate financial burdens on small businesses.

Data from the ECB shows that small businesses face processing costs 3 to 4 times higher than large chains, and this disparity is being used as an argument for state intervention.

The Italian delegation seeks to mitigate the financial burden assumed by independent points of sale, but critics argue that the digital euro is a system designed and controlled by the ECB that is intrinsically opposed to the principles of financial freedom that define Bitcoin and other original cryptocurrencies.