Digital Euro Could Go Beyond Europe with Ethereum and Solana
Date: 2025-08-28 Author: Oliver Abernathy Categories: CRYPTO PAYMENTS
The Ethereum and Solana blockchains are seen as potential platforms for the digital euro, which could expand its influence beyond Europe. Ram Kumar, a key contributor to OpenLedger, noted that Ethereum offers “programmability and access to an active developer community,” while Solana provides “low fees and high throughput,” which is especially important for mass payments. These capabilities could strengthen the euro’s international presence and increase its role in global finance.
According to Kumar, if the dollar gains an advantage in digital payments, the euro risks losing a significant share of its influence. Therefore, Europe is considering hosting the digital euro on the public Ethereum or Solana blockchains, moving away from the previously proposed closed centralized model.
These plans are being accelerated by US President Donald Trump signing the GENIUS Act on stablecoins in July, which gives dollar tokens a significant advantage in the global market. According to OpenLedger experts, this opens up opportunities for integrating the digital euro into DeFi services, global wallets, and cross-border settlements without having to build new infrastructure from scratch.
European regulators emphasize that the developed regulation of the digital euro remains “technology-neutral.” A representative of the European Commission said that negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council are ongoing.
However, risks remain. Public blockchains face restrictions under the GDPR, such as the right to erasure of data, and also raise questions about the scalability of networks, their stability, and control over validators. The ECB warns that an accessible digital euro could reduce the volume of deposits in banks, reflecting concerns about Europe's financial stability and strategic autonomy. Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB Executive Board, has previously noted that US stablecoins could strengthen the role of the dollar and displace deposits from European banks.
The technical readiness of a digital euro could be 2.5 to 3 years after the adoption of legislation, an ECB spokesman said. The European system is currently experimenting with various technologies, including centralized and decentralized solutions, but no final decision has been made yet.
The public's interest in a digital euro remains limited: according to a survey of 19,000 people in 11 Eurozone countries, only a portion of respondents are ready to place funds in a CBDC, which calls into question its mass adoption among users.
Thus, a digital euro has the potential to spread globally, but its success depends on technological solutions, regulatory policies, and user interest.
