Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock'n'Roll Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty in Europe - and the Role of the Digital Euro
In this episode of Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock’n’Roll (BFRR), hosts Jonas Gross and Stefan Grasmann sit down with Dr. Alexandra Hachmeister, Director General for the Digital Euro at Deutsche Bundesbank, for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about the future of money in Europe. Drawing on more than two decades at Deutsche Börse and her transition into central banking, Hachmeister offers rare insight into how public institutions think about digitizing sovereign money in an increasingly fragmented and geopolitically charged payments landscape.
The discussion explores why the digital euro is not simply a technical upgrade, but a strategic response to Europe’s growing dependence on non-European payment infrastructures. From Visa and Mastercard to Big Tech wallets, much of Europe’s daily payment traffic runs on rails outside European control. Hachmeister explains how the digital euro is designed to strengthen monetary sovereignty while preserving the role of commercial banks, protecting privacy, and offering citizens a cash-like public alternative in the digital world.
Beyond retail payments, the conversation dives into usability, merchant acceptance, offline functionality, and the complex challenge of rolling out a pan-European payment system across 20 countries. The hosts and their guest also address common misconceptions: the digital euro is not about crowding out private innovation, abolishing cash, or competing head-on with existing payment solutions, but about building resilient public infrastructure that others can build upon.
In the second half of the episode, the focus widens to stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and corporate payments. Why are USD-denominated stablecoins advancing so quickly? Why has Europe struggled to create a compelling euro stablecoin ecosystem? And how do central banks view the potential risks and opportunities these new forms of money bring for financial stability, cross-border payments, and bank balance sheets?
This episode offers a nuanced, behind-the-scenes look at how Europe’s monetary future is being shaped—balancing innovation, sovereignty, market realities, and public purpose at a time when the definition of money itself is evolving.
Shownotes LinkedIn Alexandra Hachmeister
Website Digital Euro Bundesbank
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