6-5-2025 – The European Central Bank (ECB) has enlisted the Ethereum-based privacy protocol COTI as a key collaborator in its ambitious digital euro pilot. This initiative, poised to deliver a robust central bank digital currency (CBDC) by early 2026, sees COTI partnering with industry giants such as KPMG and Accenture to craft a cutting-edge technological framework. At the heart of COTI’s contribution lies its innovative Garbled Circuits encryption protocol, which promises to embed stringent privacy safeguards into the very core of the digital euro’s architecture.
Shahaf Bar-Geffen, COTI’s chief executive, underscored the significance of this partnership, marking it as the company’s second foray into CBDC development after its pivotal role in Israel’s digital shekel project. The ECB has equipped its partners with detailed technical blueprints, including APIs, to streamline the creation of a secure and efficient system. The pilot, which engages nearly 70 institutions tasked with validating the conditional payment infrastructure, is set to culminate in a comprehensive evaluation report by the close of 2025. This collaboration heralds a transformative moment in the evolution of digital currencies, with privacy and innovation at its forefront.
