The European Central Bank (ECB) will decide whether to issue a digital euro in 2023, the ECB said Thursday.
The currency will be introduced in any event before 2025, it said in its annual report on developments in the euro area.
The ECB has already decided that a payment system based on the ethereum blockchain could be ready in 2021, it said.
The move is part of an ambitious plan by the ECB to become more digital and more transparent.