Interested in being considered as a pilot jurisdiction for the implementation of the digital euro

During this year's talks with European institutions, Montenegro is strongly interested in being considered as a pilot jurisdiction for the implementation of the digital euro in countries outside the eurozone and outside the European Union that use the euro, announced the Governor of the Central Bank, Irena Radović.

"Montenegro represents a natural environment for testing the cross-border usability, interoperability and inclusiveness of the digital euro - as a fully euroized economy, with an agile financial system, a high degree of openness and continuous alignment with the European payment infrastructure," Radović stated.

As part of the Adria Future Summit 2026, at the panel The Future of Money in Digital Europe: Perspectives of Central Bank Governors, she said that the digital euro is not just a technological innovation, but an important step in the further construction of the European financial architecture.

The panel brought together the governors of central banks of European countries, who discussed the implications of the digital euro and modern payment innovations for the financial stability and resilience of national financial systems.

"Early interoperability with new European financial systems is strategically important for Montenegro, because integration into the European payment infrastructure for smaller economies means lower transaction costs and greater competition in payment services. It is also a matter of economic rapprochement with the European Union, because real integration does not take place only through formal accession, but also through gradual inclusion in the functional layers of the single market," said Radović.

Speaking about Montenegro's position, Radović recalled that the country is already integrated into the European payments ecosystem through SEPA and is currently developing an infrastructure for instant payments aligned with the Eurosystem (TIPS clone).

The Governor of the Bank of Slovenia, Primož Dolenc, pointed to the transformative potential of the digital euro, emphasizing that it could redefine the role of public money for European citizens in the years to come, bringing the trust, stability and accessibility of central bank money into the digital age.

"Our vision is not to disrupt the financial system, but to be active actors in its transformation and to rebuild it on a European basis: by creating a resilient and sovereign payments infrastructure that empowers citizens and the economy, preserves financial stability, and ensures that the benefits of innovation are shared across society," said Dolenc.

The Governor of the Bank of Estonia and member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, Madis Müller, cited the technological and strategic importance of the digital euro, emphasizing that its goal is to strengthen Europe as a whole.

He said that in Estonia, at least 70 percent of payments in physical stores are processed through international card systems, and that, in conditions of decreasing cash use, it is important to have a modern payment solution that works across Europe.

"A digital euro, as digital cash, would represent a completely new payment infrastructure, complementary to existing digital payment solutions. The availability of parallel and well-functioning digital payment solutions is important as it would further strengthen the overall resilience of the payment infrastructure," said Miller.

The Governors' Panel at the Adria Future Summit 2026 sent a clear message: the future of the European monetary system will not depend on a single instrument, but on the ability of different layers of financial infrastructure – from the SEPA system and instant payments to the digital euro and new solutions based on advanced technologies – to function in a coordinated, interoperable and inclusive manner.

"In this context, Montenegro is recognized as a country that not only follows European trends, but also strives to participate in them in a timely and meaningful manner, confirming its commitment to the modernization of the financial system and further European integration," the statement concludes.