Last Friday, 27 February, the conference entitled “The Digital Euro: What You Need to Know” took place. It was delivered by Mariana Moyúa, a specialist in the Innovation in Payment Methods and Infrastructures Division at the Banco de España.
The session was attended by a large group of students and faculty members who filled the room and actively participated in the Q&A, reflecting the strong interest in this highly topical issue.
During her presentation, the speaker — who also holds a degree in Economics from the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria — clearly and accessibly explained what the digital euro is, how it would differ from current electronic payment methods, and the main motivations of the European Central Bank in promoting this project. Among these, she highlighted the need to adapt the European monetary system to the increasing digitalisation of the economy, to strengthen the euro area’s strategic autonomy in payments, and to ensure that citizens continue to have access to a form of public money in the digital environment.
She also presented the estimated timeline for the development and implementation of the digital euro, stressing that it is a gradual process, subject to institutional decisions and to the establishment of a specific regulatory framework.
The conference underscored the importance for future economists and finance professionals of understanding both the challenges and the opportunities posed by the digital transformation of money, in a context in which technological innovation is redefining the functioning of payment systems and, more broadly, the international financial system.
