The present paper provides an overview on current developments of cash usage and issue of central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the euro area and proposes a possible design of a digital euro that allows for instant offline payments. Cash usage at the point-of-sale decreased perceptibly in the...

Since the institution of a unified European market, the retail payment system has changed significantly. In September 2020, the European Commission adopted the Digital Finance Package, that includes a digital finance strategy, legislative proposals on crypto-assets and digital resilience, as...