Major EU banks, including ING, UniCredit, CaixaBank and BBVA, are no longer content to merely talk about a digital euro: they have grown bolder and are now racing to hunt down crypto partners to launch a bank‑grade euro stablecoin in 2026, as they gear up for the European Central Bank (ECB) digital euro pilot in 2027.
Bank Stablecoin vs. Digital Euro A Regulated And Domestic Alternative For The EU A Broader Perspective With CryptoQivalis is not an isolated experiment: its existence is a paradigmatic example of how Europe’s traditional lenders are shifting their approach to digital assets. In recent years, not wanting to be left behind or lose against decentralized crypto alternatives, and under pressure from client demand and tighter regulation, large banks and savings institutions have rolled out crypto custody, trading pilots and tokenization projects, as seen by German lenders exploring crypto services or French and Italian banks backing the ECB’s digital euro plan while lobbying on costs and design.
Europe’s incumbents seem to have realized that instead of fighting on‑chain finance from the sidelines and fading into the background of new paradigms, they are better off trying to rebuild the system on their own terms
Cover image from ChatGPT, XRPUSD chart from Tradingview
