The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced plans to facilitate the settlement of distributed ledger technology (DLT) transactions using central bank money. The ECB’s Governing Council has approved a dual-track strategy for this initiative, which includes both short-term and long-term approaches.
The first track, named “Pontes,” aims to provide a short-term market offering that includes a pilot phase. Pontes will link DLT platforms with TARGET Services to settle transactions in central bank money. A pilot for Pontes is expected to launch by the end of the third quarter of 2026. During this period, the Eurosystem will explore potential enhancements in line with existing operational, legal, and technical standards.
In parallel, the second track, “Appia,” focuses on developing a long-term solution for an innovative and integrated ecosystem in Europe. This approach seeks to ensure safe and efficient operations at a global level. The Eurosystem plans to continue analyzing DLT-based solutions and collaborating with both public and private stakeholders.
To maintain ongoing dialogue with the market, dedicated contact groups for both Pontes and Appia will be established. An invitation for expressions of interest in joining the Pontes contact group will be issued soon.
These initiatives build on previous exploratory work conducted by the Eurosystem between May and November 2024, which involved 64 participants conducting over 50 trials and experiments. A report detailing these findings has been released today.
For further information, media inquiries can be directed to Alessandro Speciale at +49 172 1670791.
Information from this article can be found here.
