The European Central Bank (ECB) has approved a two -track plan to settle technology transactions from the large distributed book (DLT) using Central Bank money, which could open the way to modernize the financial system of Europe.
The first track, nicknamed “Pontes”, will focus on a short -term solution by connecting DLT platforms based on blockchain with “target” services, a series of financial services developed and exploited by the Eurosystem designed to facilitate the flow of payments and securities in the euro zone.
A punkel pilot is expected to be launched at the end of the third quarter of 2026, the ECB announced on Tuesday. This pilot will use information from the ECB exploratory trials in 2024, which involved more than 50 experiences and 64 participants, to test a unified money regulation system from the central bank.
“The decision complies with the commitment of the Eurosystem to support innovation without compromising the security and efficiency of financial market infrastructure,” wrote the ECB.
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The second track takes a long -term approach
The second track, called APPIA, adopts a longer -term approach, aimed at developing an “integrated ecosystem in Europe which also facilitates safe and effective operations worldwide”.
APPIA will see the ECB continue to study DLT requests in wholesale central bank establishments while working in close collaboration with public and private partners.
The Eurosystem will also set up group contact groups for Pontes and Appia in order to maintain dialogue with industry stakeholders and collect comments. A call to expressions of interest to join the Pontes group will be published soon.
The plan comes as central banks around the world explore how the blockchain can rationalize the colonies while maintaining the control of money flows.
In 2023, an experience of the Bank of England, carried out through the Bis London Innovation Hub, successfully tested using DLT to execute large -scale interbank transactions. He has demonstrated a prototype that could speed up and reduce the costs of real -time (RTGS) settlement systems by linking them with other financial and books infrastructure.
Cointelegraph holded the hand to the ECB to comment but had not received an answer by publication.
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DLT tests reveal a central bank request
The ECB has also published a report detailing the results of its recent DLT exploratory work. The report confirmed a high market demand for the payment of assets token in the central bank silver, with 1.6 billion euros (1.88 billion dollars) set in trials involving 64 participants across Europe.
The results show that the DLT could reduce “fragmentation, complexity and technological ineffectiveness” on the capital markets by allowing atomic and programmable regulations.
However, this highlighted the need for standardization, harmonized legal frameworks and “an interoperability link with target services as soon as possible”.
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