Italian postal service could bring digital euro to millions, ECB says

Poste Italiane could support the final phase of the digital euro rollout thanks to its broad client base, according to ECB executive board member Piero Cipollone.

Poste Italiane might soon do more than deliver mail and manage savings accounts — it could help bring the digital euro to millions of Italians. That’s according to Piero Cipollone, a member of the European Central Bank‘s executive board, who floated the idea during an online event hosted by ASviS, Bloomberg reports.

As of press time, the ECB is still preparing for the rollout of a digital euro and, once the system is in place, it’s going to need reliable partners to handle what Cipollone called “the last mile,” the final step that actually puts the digital money into people’s hands.

Cipollone said Poste Italiane could help the ECB introduce the digital euro, pointing out that the company “has millions of clients and can easily provide support access to the digital euro.”

It wouldn’t be a huge leap for Poste Italiane though. Besides delivering letters and packages, the company already offers banking and financial services.

While the idea of a digital euro might sound futuristic, the ECB says it’s becoming a necessary step. More and more people are tapping phones and swiping cards, while the use of cash keeps falling. Cipollone has made the case before that “in the digital age, cash alone cannot do the job.”

He’s also tried to reassure the public that this isn’t the end of physical money. The digital euro would “complement” cash, not replace it, as it’s designed to offer a state-backed option in a world where most digital payments are handled by private companies.

If all goes smoothly — including the political side — Cipollone said the first digital euro transactions could happen “by mid 2028.”