Always online – for many, this is increasingly the norm. When we’re offline, something’s gone wrong; we’re in a dead spot. This limits our options, including our ability to make payments. In areas with no network coverage, we have to pay with cash – if we have any. Now, offline functions aim to enable digital payments without network access. How is this supposed to work? Why does it make sense? Who is championing this and who thinks it’s impossible? This is the focus of episode 3 of the third season of Digitalgelddickicht on the topic of ‘Secure Money’.
In order to make it tangible and avoid remaining purely theoretical, the episode discusses the offline function using the digital euro as an example. For some, the offline payment function is one of its core promises. What form should this function take? What technical and political issues are involved? To what extent does such a function, for instance, strengthen the resilience of the European payments landscape? How does this function strengthen the EU’s digital sovereignty? And how can we prevent banks and states from being able to track payment transactions?
Digitalgelddickicht Season Secure Money – The offline function (German only) | 27. April 2026
Further reading
Christian Grothoff: „Security through obscurity?” Die EZB und mögliche Design-Probleme des Digitalen Euro. In: eFin-Blog, 23.09.2024.
Lars Hupel: Der digitale Euro: Elektronisch, aber offline-fähig. In: eFin-Blog, 03.03.2025.
Digitalgelddickicht – Season 1: Digital Euro.
Wero und digitaler Euro – Endlich europäische Alternativen zu PayPal und Co? (German only) Discussion organised by the ZEVEDI discourse project ‘Democracy Issues of the digitalised financial sector’ in cooperation with the Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt and in media partnership with hr info, 22.01.2026.
European Parliament: MEPs debate the European Central Bank’s annual report with ECB President Christine Lagarde, 09.02.2026.
Digitales Geld, starkes Europa – Neue Wege zu geopolitischer Unabhängigkeit (German only). Discussion organised by the ZEVEDI discourse project ‘Democracy Issues of the digitalised financial sector’ in cooperation with the Evangelische Akademie Frankfurt and in media partnership with hr info, 26.02.2026.
Alle Folgen der dritten Staffel des DigitalgelddickichtsKategorie nicht gefunden.