- ECB President Christine Lagarde argued euro stablecoins are inefficient for boosting the euro’s global role and carry significant risks.
- She highlighted risks of financial instability from redemption pressures and weakened monetary policy transmission.
- Industry executives warned Europe risks cementing dollar dominance and sending negative signals to compliant private investors.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde pushed back against calls for euro stablecoins Friday, stating the instrument is “not an efficient way” to strengthen the euro’s international role. Speaking at the Banco de España LatAm Economic Forum in Spain, she warned Europe should stop trying to copy the U.S. playbook. The global stablecoin market, now worth over $317 billion, is nearly 98% denominated in U.S. dollars.
Lagarde acknowledged the U.S. GENIUS Act is touted as a tool for dollar dominance. Consequently, she said the debate has shifted to whether jurisdictions can afford to be without stablecoins. However, she argued any short-term gains from euro stablecoins are outweighed by material trade-offs.
The first risk is financial instability, as stablecoins are private liabilities vulnerable to redemption pressures. She pointed to Circle‘s near-depeg during the Silicon Valley Bank collapse in March 2023. The second risk is weakened monetary policy transmission if deposits migrate out of banks.
“We know the dangers,” Lagarde said. “And we do not need to wait for a crisis to prevent them.” Meanwhile, industry leaders pushed back forcefully against her stance. James Brownlee, CEO of t-0, warned Europe risks falling behind as the U.S. moves quickly.
Brownlee said the signal from Europe’s most senior policymaker is troubling for compliant investors. He noted stablecoins grew to $300 billion without policy, forming a global liquidity network. Mouloukou Sanoh, CEO of MANSA, warned a dollarized stablecoin market could mean “a future without the EUR.”
Lagarde concluded Europe’s task is not to replicate instruments developed elsewhere. The ECB recently signed agreements with three European standards bodies to underpin digital euro infrastructure. “Europe knows which port it is sailing to,” she said.
✅ Follow BITNEWSBOT on Telegram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X.com, and Google News for instant updates.
