Crypto’s weak fundamentals mean investors should be prepared for more price swings, Luis de Guindos said.
“Bitcoin alone is already consuming more electricity than the Netherlands,” Panetta said.
Privacy is the number one thing Europeans want out of a digital euro.
In an interview with Bloomberg Wednesday, Lagarde said the digital euro will be rolled out within four years.
The overall program's size was left intact, along with the March 2022 end date, but the pace of stimulus is now set to increase.
The ECB believes it should have the final say ahead of any proposed stablecoin launches.
The digital euro project may get underway in mid-2021 after a period of review.
In a speech at a Reuters online event Wednesday, Lagarde said bitcoin was a "highly speculative" asset.
MassMutual's push into bitcoin shows increasing adoption – of the narrative the cryptocurrency can work as a hedge against central-bank money printing.
Stablecoins could "threaten financial security" if widely adopted, the ECB head said in a magazine interview.
ECB President Christine Lagarde says the impetus for a central bank digital currency could come from the need to facilitate cross-border finance.
The enthusiasm jolt from bitcoin's ascent toward $14K ran into realism, and options traders see low probabilities of a new price record this year.
An executive member at the European Central Bank says a digital euro could protect the eurozone's monetary sovereignty from outside influence.
The EU central bank said the term stablecoin is potentially "confusing" and "misleading" to consumers.
A digital euro for retail payments would "ensure that sovereign money remains at the core of European payment systems," according to Legarde.