ECB's Schnabel Says Central Bank Money 'Must Go Onchain'

ECB’s Isabel Schnabel Calls for Central Bank Money to Move On-Chain Using Smart Contracts

European Central Bank Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel has called for central banks to move their own money onto distributed ledgers, arguing that blockchain and smart contracts could fundamentally modernise monetary-policy implementation and financial-market settlement. Speaking at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium on August 28, Schnabel said central banks should “go on-chain” as tokenisation increasingly moves financial assets o…

ECB's Isabel Schnabel Says Central Bank Money Must Go on Blockchain

ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel told the Jackson Hole symposium that putting central bank money on blockchain is no longer optional for eurozone monetary sovereignty. The ECB's Project Pontes, linking DLT platforms to its TARGET settlement system, goes live September 21, 2026.

ECB Pushes On-Chain Euro Settlement as Stablecoin Use Grows

The European Central Bank (ECB) is exploring the direct issuance of central bank money on blockchain networks as Europe prepares for a more tokenized financial system. ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel outlined the case during the Jackson Hole symposium on Friday, arguing that tokenized financial markets need access to central bank money for settlement. The proposal concerns reserves used by financial institutions rather than the retail…

ECB's Schnabel Says Central Bank Money 'Must Go Onchain'

“Central bank reserves remain superior to stablecoins as the ultimate settlement asset,” European Central Bank Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel told attendees at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium. Schnabel’s Pitch Isabel Schnabel didn’t mince her words, stating unequivocally that stablecoins lack “the independent capacity to expand liquidity rapidly during periods of financial stress,” a […]