The European Central Bank said that its proposed digital euro would strengthen Europe’s defenses against cyber and infrastructure disruptions while ensuring broad access to digital payments.

Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB’s Executive Board, told the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee that resilience and inclusiveness must be central features as the bloc prepares to complement physical cash with a central bank-issued digital version.

The remarks marked the ECB’s 14th update to lawmakers on the central bank digital currency project.

Building resilience in payments

Cipollone said Europe’s reliance on foreign payment providers exposes citizens to risks in times of crisis. He cited incidents ranging from undersea cable sabotage in the Baltic Sea to recent power outages in Spain and Portugal as examples of how vulnerable infrastructures can disrupt daily transactions.

He argued that the digital euro would provide “spare capacity” in the financial system by adding public payment rails alongside private solutions.

Planned safeguards include transaction processing across multiple regions, a mandatory ECB-run app to ensure continuity if banks are targeted by cyberattacks, and offline functionality that would allow peer-to-peer payments during power or network outages.

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Ensuring inclusion for all citizens

Cipollone stressed that the digital euro must also serve Europeans at risk of being excluded from a cash-light economy.

He pointed to more than 30 million people in Europe who are blind or partially sighted, at least 34 million who are deaf or hard of hearing, and citizens with limited digital literacy.

The ECB said it is working with consumer groups to design adaptive interfaces, including voice commands and large-font displays, and will require payment providers to support its own app to guarantee basic access.

Local institutions such as post offices and libraries could also provide free support to those least familiar with digital tools.

The author of the best-selling personal finance series Rich Dad Poor Dad is continuing his journey to accumulate a total of 100 Bitcoin (BTC).

In a new post on the social media platform X, Robert Kiyosaki says that he bought another Bitcoin as he expects BTC’s price to hit the seven-figure level.

But Kiyosaki notes that he is aware that the $1 million price prediction for Bitcoin may not come to light.

“I realize I could be wrong and a sucker. Would not be the first time in my life I was played for a FOOL.

Yet I believe Bitcoin will one day soon… be $1 million a coin. If I am a sucker…. I’d rather be a sucker than a LOSER if Bitcoin does go to $1 million.

Nobody likes being suckers or losers… Yet that is what makes life exciting.

Think for yourself… Do not listen to my ramblings.

I can afford to lose a $100,000 because I have been a sucker and a loser many times in my life… and learned from my losses.

That’s life. That’s called wisdom and experience… which can be priceless.” 

The Rich Dad Poor Dad author also says that while it may be considered that Bitcoin is expensive at over $100,000, he points out that he had the same thoughts years ago when BTC was trading below $10,000.

According to Kiyosaki, BTC at $100,000 will be cheap if the crypto king hits his ultimate price target.

“WHAT IS EXPENSIVE?

I was late into Bitcoin. I waited too long… which may have been a good thing. I waited because I did not understand today’s modern money.

So I bought my first Bitcoin at $6,000 a coin. It was expensive.

Today I wish I had bought more at $6,000.

Today Bitcoin is $107,000 a coin.

Again my mind says, ‘That’s expensive,’ but I am buying more.

Why?

Because if and when Bitcoin sells for $1 million a coin, I will once again be saying ‘I wish I had bought more.’

Even if you can afford only one Satoshi today….I believe five years from now, you will be saying, ‘I wish I had bought more.’

Will Bitcoin hit  $1 million a coin?

I do not know.

What I do know is… I will be saying, ‘I will wish I had bought more at $107,000. At $107,000, Bitcoin was priceless.’”

At time of writing, Bitcoin is worth $105,778.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino argued that Tether is the “most important ally for the US” in its goal of maintaining the dollar’s dominance in the global economy.

He made the statement during a presentation at Cantor Fitzgerald’s Global Technology Conference on March 12, where he also noted that crypto companies want to copy Strategy or Tether’s business models since they are “very profitable and exciting.”

Ardoino said that Tether USD (USDT) is the product responsible for creating the stablecoin industry. He also highlighted the firm’s 13% user growth over the past quarter, reaching 400 million users worldwide.

Ardoino credited Tether and stablecoins’ growth to the US dollar. He explained:

“Is it because we are great in marketing? Is that because we are fantastic? No. The reason why the growth is so fast is that, if you go outside the US, stop 1,000 people in the streets and ask them if they would prefer to hold the US dollar or would they prefer to hold their national currency, every single one of them will say ‘I prefer to hold the dollar.’”

Important ally for the US

Ardoino also stated that Tether’s goal is to be the most transparent company in the world and argued that the company is a key ally for the US in its goal of maintaining the dollar’s global hegemony.

He noted that Tether holds $113 billion in US Treasuries, making it the 19th largest US debt holder and placing it ahead of most countries in the world.

Ardoino reiterated his March 11 speech at the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s event, “Bitcoin for America,” about USDT’s role in safeguarding the US dollar’s dominance. 

He claimed that USDT is the only way people can access the US dollar in many emerging markets, which has significantly spread US presence in these countries via stablecoins.

According to Ardoino, this would be especially important due to the impending threat of BRICS, which is gearing up to launch a gold-backed coin to challenge the US dollar’s dominance in the global market.

He added:

“They [BRICS] will eventually announce a gold-backed currency, and when they build the entire infrastructure in the emerging markets, when they build roads, when they build everything that you can think of, it will be very easy to push a new currency. […] And the thing is: there is only Tether in these countries to push forward the dollar hegemony.”

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