According to recent reports, French Finance Minister Roland Lescure emphasized the need for a greater number of euro-pegged stablecoins in Europe, urging EU banks to explore the potential of tokenized deposits. This statement may mark a shift in the French government's approach to digital currencies. Lescure expressed his support for Qivalis, a consortium of 12 European banks planning to launch a euro-pegged stablecoin in the second half of 2026, aiming to counter the dominance of US-based digital payment systems.
The minister stated, "This is what we need, and this is what we want." He also encouraged banks to further investigate the launch of tokenized deposits. Lescure noted that the current volume of euro-pegged stablecoins is relatively low compared to those pegged to the US dollar, describing this situation as "unsatisfactory." This stance differs from that of the former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who previously advocated for strict regulations against privately issued fiat-pegged cryptocurrencies, citing concerns over national sovereignty. More recently, the Governor of the Bank of France, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, warned about the potential risks of stablecoins and private money, emphasizing the threat to monetary sovereignty.