ECB lays out ‘anonymous’ digital euro as public opposes ‘slavecoins’

cointelegraph.com:

The ECB released another working paper on the digital euro, providing an extensive technical analysis of a potential European CBDC and its position in the existing financial system.

Issued on May 13, the working paper aims to study issues like financial intermediation, payment choices and privacy in the digital economy, providing a large number of related algebra-based conclusions.

The study suggests that a “CBDC with anonymity” is preferable to traditional digital payments like bank deposits but it “may become supplanted” by digital currencies, or “payment tokens” issued by technology giants.

“This risk would be particularly tangible if those platforms compete with banks in the market for financial services. However, an optionality for data sharing features may result in a widespread CBDC adoption,” the working paper reads.

According to the ECB, one of the main problems of cash is that it cannot be used for more efficient online transitions while it still preserves anonymity. In contrast, bank deposits can be used online but do not provide enough anonymity.

Finally, digital currencies issued by tech platforms “allow merchants to hide from banks but enable platforms to stifle competition,” the ECB wrote, adding:

The European Central Bank (ECB) continues pushing its central bank digital currency (CBDC) project despite Europeans apparently not feeling too much positive about a digital euro.

While the ECB keeps promoting a potential digital euro with anonymity-enabled features, the Europeans are not quite optimistic about any CBDC. According to public feedback from another digital euro consultation, the majority of Europeans are against the adoption of a CBDC in the European Union.

Launched on April 5, the consultation has amassed