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ESMA has concluded that, based on the evidence gathered, that at present most innovative business models can operate within the existing EU rules,

CBDC can leverage the decentralized and secure advantages of blockchain. This enables P2P transactions, offers a more resilient payment infrastructure, reduces transaction costs, enhances information sharing capabilities and facilitates data reconciliation. Blockchain enabled payment solutions have been rigorously tested by central banks across North America, Europe and Asia.

The Coinbase Card will be available in Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands. The card allows users with Coinbase accounts to spend cryptocurrencies in stores and online at any merchant that accepts Visa.

A new generation of technology companies, called govtech, is using new technologies applied to public services, and designed for local and central governments. These tech-enabled solutions promise greater efficiency and transparency in the way the citizens engage with the administration, transforming the way nations distribute welfare, keep citizens safe, provide healthcare, and deliver key public services.

PayPal is ramping up its presence in India, looking to capitalise on surging digital payments demand as the country's 450m mobile users leap online and as growth slows in the US and Europe.

Ethereum-based banking alternative platform Monolith, is issuing a new Visa debit card, which allows users to spend Dai stablecoin anywhere in the world at stores that accept Visa payments.

Seven independent mobile payment systems in Europe have teamed up to form the European Mobile Payment Systems Association. Its mid-term goal is to make it possible for the companies' combined 25 million users to use all of the individual systems in each of the member countries.

France will halt the development of Facebook's planned Libra cryptocurrency in Europe because it threatens the "monetary sovereignty" of governments.

The Revolut payment app plans to expand beyond Europe and Australia, where it built its primary markets, and into the USA, as well as Japan, Brazil, and Russia.

According deVere Group, the use of its fintech apps in Europe has risen 72% during the last week of March.

First conceived earlier this year, eThaler gets its name from the thaler, a silver coin used throughout Europe for hundreds of years, from which the word "dollar" is derived. A group of professionals from consulting firms Accenture and InfoSys and the Itau Bank in Brazil, have been working on the open-source project in their free time for the past six months to explore the future of central bank currency issued on a blockchain.

Denis Beau, First Deputy Governor of the Bank of France, addressed the "What Ambitions For Europe" Stablecoin Conference. Paris Europlace and ConsenSys organized the event this January. Mr. Beau talked about the good and the bad. He outlined three tasks for regulatory authorities working on stablecoin adoption policies.

The European Data Portal released a new study on the value created by open data across Europe and builds on the EDP's 2015 report "Creating Value through Open Data".

Digital money transfer service, Azimo and Siam Commercial Bank launched an instant cross-border payments service from Europe to Thailand through the RippleNet global payments network.

Everest, the decentralized digital payments SaaS provider, has partnered with BRI Remittance, a subsidiary of Bank Rakyat Indonesia, one of the country's largest banks.

State Street will reportedly announce later this year that it is offering safekeeping for digital assets in the United States and Europe. However, because bitcoin is not a financial instrument, legally speaking it cannot be held in custody, so the bank will call their offering "record-keeping services" even though it will also offer to look after customers' digital keys. Northern Trust is also close to offering safekeeping for clients' crypto-assets through a joint venture with Standard Chartered.

Payment processing and global retail banking platform Klarna secured $1 billion through its equity funding round to accelerate international expansion and further capture global retail growth. The company's valuation is now $31 billion and it is claiming to be the highest-valued private fintech in Europe and second-highest worldwide. Klarna offers point-of-sale loans for online and in-store purchases through its mobile app. These loans allow customers to buy now and pay later at popular retailers.

The European Commission (EC) proposed a framework for a European Digital Identity which will be available to all citizens, residents, and businesses in the European Union. The proposed European Digital Identity wallets will enable holders to prove their identity and share electronic documents with the click of a button on their smartphone. They will be able to access online services with their national digital identification, which will be recognized throughout Europe. Very large platforms will be required to accept the use of European Digital Identity wallets upon request of the user, for example to prove their age. Use of the European Digital Identity wallet will always be at the choice of the user.

"Let me say it again: on both digital currency and payments, we in Europe must be ready to move as quickly as needed or risk an erosion of our monetary sovereignty - something we cannot tolerate. European citizens must have access durably to effective and independent means of exchange."

The Association for Financial Markets in Europe has released a new paper which highlights the minimal use of the cloud among capital markets firms - with over two-thirds of AFME members questioned estimating that only 1 - 10% of their bank's current workload was using some level of public cloud.