Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) might as well have been our new media of monetary cooperation. And they still can be, at the least in the case of the Digital Euro. Since 2023, I have repeatedly advocated for real digital cash, financial inclusion and new public payment infrastructure for all of Europe. While we, finally, expect a political decision by the European Parliament in July, the D€ is facing competition from WERO, a pan-European PayPal competitor. Geopolitical claims for monetary sovereignty mix with twisted hopes for digital sovereignty and independence. So what can MoneyLab do next? The Austrians of Ja, Panik might have known it early on: Dance the ECB, swing die Staatsfinanzen … sing ihnen ihre Melodien, zwing sie zum Tanzen.
This is my contribution to the Institute of Network Cutures exit fest. It is part of a joint session on Politics of Digital Sovereignty with Gianmarco Christofari, Annalisa Pelizza, Sebastian Giessmann and Klara Debeljak. Geert Lovinks hosts this on June 25, Amsterdam, 13pm at OT301.
