According to Reuters, French Finance Minister Roland Lescure stated on Friday that Europe requires more stablecoins pegged to the euro, and EU banks should investigate tokenized deposits. This statement marks a potential shift in the stance of the French government and its central bank. Lescure expressed support for Qivalis, a consortium of 12 European banks, including BBVA, ING, UniCredit, and BNP Paribas, which plans to launch a euro-pegged stablecoin in the second half of 2026 to counter US dominance in digital payments.
"This is what we need, and this is what we want," Lescure said, also encouraging banks to explore the launch of tokenized deposits further. He noted that the relatively low volume of euro-pegged stablecoins compared to those pegged to the dollar is "not satisfactory." Previously, the French government, led by former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, adopted a strict stance against privately issued fiat-pegged cryptocurrencies, considering them a threat to national sovereignty. More recently, Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau warned that stablecoins and tokenized private money could accelerate the loss of monetary sovereignty, framing it as a political threat.