Introducing the digital euro: a cash-like payment method that exists only in digital format. It can be offline, stored locally, and can be transferred from person to person without intermediate. This makes it as private as cash.

As a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), the digital euro is part of a global trend that's revolutionizing the way we think about money. The central bank issues widely accessible digital coins so that digital transactions and transfers become simple. CBDC is a global trend and worldwide over 130 countries have launched projects or studies.

As a market leader in payment ICs and solutions, Infineon provides Secure Elements and secured payment solutions supporting offline and online connectivity, enabling Payment Service Providers and Issuers to migrate to the Digital Euro Ecosystem.

Out now: the publication of the new “Digital Euro Unlocked – Report 2026”

In the "Digital Euro Unlocked" Report of 2026, msg for banking and Infineon Technologies deliver a strategic, multi-stakeholder analysis of Europe's evolving central bank digital currency (CBDC) landscape. Tailored for banks, payment service providers (PSPs), and infrastructure operators, the report addresses the core question: What will it take for the digital euro to earn trust and relevance in daily life?

Infineon discuses how smart semiconductor solutions tackle privacy and security challenges.

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Video: What is the digital euro?

Want to learn how the digital euro can transform everyday transactions and explore further use cases based on suburban payment? Watch our video to see how Maxine uses her NFC smart ring to pay for her train ticket effortlessly. With her digital euro wallet, she enjoys features like real-time cashback, automatic fare calculations, and fund reservations based on specific conditions, such as delays:

Infineon's role and products 

Secure Elements play a vital role in enabling offline functionality for CBDCs. These are specialized hardware components with robust security features, often embedded in smartphones, contactless cards, and payment-enabled consumer devices like smart rings or smart watches.

  • Infineon shares the vision of ECB:
  • Digital cash society: digital form of cash as seamless experience: the digital euro has the potential to replace cash as it transforms everyday transactions into seamless, reliable, and secured payment experiences.
  • Financial inclusion: it is available to everyone in the euro area, including these who do not have direct access to banking services. Ultimately, offering more choices to consumers and businesses.
  • Sovereignty of EU's monetary system: Reinforce the sovereignty of the monetary system in EU’s Single Market and strengthening the robustness, resilience and security of the payment system.

Infineon is leveraging it's market-leading SECORA™ Pay solution portfolio with proven, hardware-based security as the definitive trust anchor for EMV payments. We now aim to translate that payment foundation to enable the digital euro offline capability at its core, allowing secured payments for anyone, anytime, and anywhere, resilience, and cash-like privacy:

  1. Privacy by Design – Through Biometric Authentication: Infineon demonstrates how privacy by design can be achieved with its SECORA™ Pay Bio all-in-one biometric payment solution for enhanced user privacy: SECORA™ Pay Bio supports hardware-based on-card biometric authentication. This means that the cardholder’s biometric data does not leave the card; it is verified directly on the card. The cardholder is verified based on “who you are” rather than “what you know”.
  2. Offline Transaction Capabilities Protecting Privacy: Infineon’s SECORA™ Pay family provides a one-stop solution for technology providers looking to balance convenience with robust offline security. The latest addition to Infineon’s SECORA™ Pay family, SECORA™ Pay M, supports multiple applications by combining payment with additional identification and authentication functions like FIDO.
  3. eSIMs for secured self-custody wallets: Infineon's OPTIGA™ Connect Consumer product portfolio provides a range of secured and certified solutions supporting device authentication to mobile network operator (MNO) networks. Based on Java Card™, OPTIGA™ Connect allows integration of additional applets and functionality, such as eID or digital currency. OPTIGA™ Connect thus provides convenience for end users while strongly protecting critical user and issuer assets.

Ecosystem and partnerships

Infineon is part of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) Innovation Platform as a Pioneer Partner, being the only Security Controller Manufacturer participating.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has established an innovation platform to collaborate with European stakeholders in the context of the digital euro project. Participants test digital euro payment functionalities and explore innovative use cases. Especially the conditional payment is to be explored in order to increase processing automation and reduce transaction and operational costs.

Glossary

Global CBDC Development

European efforts to strengthen digital sovereignty reflect a global trend — over 130 countries are now researching or developing CBDCs. While designs vary by country based on regulatory culture and economic structure, most prioritize financial stability, user privacy, ease of use, and resilience. Infineon’s expertise in secured payment applications supports these goals.

Digital vs. Traditional Payments

Unlike conventional deposit-based payments—which move through layered bank infrastructures with processing delays and cut-off times — digital currencies operate as tokens transferred directly between wallets on continuous digital infrastructure with fewer intermediaries.

Security Through Self-Custody

This shift toward self-custody enables faster transactions and greater flexibility, but also elevates security importance: control of funds depends on wallet protection. Infineon’s Secure Elements provide the ideal platform for safely storing user credentials, tokenized assets, and private data.

Further Links

Video: What is the digital euro?

Want to learn how the digital euro can transform everyday transactions and explore further use cases based on suburban payment? Watch our video to see how Maxine uses her NFC smart ring to pay for her train ticket effortlessly. With her digital euro wallet, she enjoys features like real-time cashback, automatic fare calculations, and fund reservations based on specific conditions, such as delays:

Infineon's role and products 

Secure Elements play a vital role in enabling offline functionality for CBDCs. These are specialized hardware components with robust security features, often embedded in smartphones, contactless cards, and payment-enabled consumer devices like smart rings or smart watches.

  • Infineon shares the vision of ECB:
  • Digital cash society: digital form of cash as seamless experience: the digital euro has the potential to replace cash as it transforms everyday transactions into seamless, reliable, and secured payment experiences.
  • Financial inclusion: it is available to everyone in the euro area, including these who do not have direct access to banking services. Ultimately, offering more choices to consumers and businesses.
  • Sovereignty of EU's monetary system: Reinforce the sovereignty of the monetary system in EU’s Single Market and strengthening the robustness, resilience and security of the payment system.

Infineon is leveraging it's market-leading SECORA™ Pay solution portfolio with proven, hardware-based security as the definitive trust anchor for EMV payments. We now aim to translate that payment foundation to enable the digital euro offline capability at its core, allowing secured payments for anyone, anytime, and anywhere, resilience, and cash-like privacy:

  1. Privacy by Design – Through Biometric Authentication: Infineon demonstrates how privacy by design can be achieved with its SECORA™ Pay Bio all-in-one biometric payment solution for enhanced user privacy: SECORA™ Pay Bio supports hardware-based on-card biometric authentication. This means that the cardholder’s biometric data does not leave the card; it is verified directly on the card. The cardholder is verified based on “who you are” rather than “what you know”.
  2. Offline Transaction Capabilities Protecting Privacy: Infineon’s SECORA™ Pay family provides a one-stop solution for technology providers looking to balance convenience with robust offline security. The latest addition to Infineon’s SECORA™ Pay family, SECORA™ Pay M, supports multiple applications by combining payment with additional identification and authentication functions like FIDO.
  3. eSIMs for secured self-custody wallets: Infineon's OPTIGA™ Connect Consumer product portfolio provides a range of secured and certified solutions supporting device authentication to mobile network operator (MNO) networks. Based on Java Card™, OPTIGA™ Connect allows integration of additional applets and functionality, such as eID or digital currency. OPTIGA™ Connect thus provides convenience for end users while strongly protecting critical user and issuer assets.

Ecosystem and partnerships

Infineon is part of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) Innovation Platform as a Pioneer Partner, being the only Security Controller Manufacturer participating.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has established an innovation platform to collaborate with European stakeholders in the context of the digital euro project. Participants test digital euro payment functionalities and explore innovative use cases. Especially the conditional payment is to be explored in order to increase processing automation and reduce transaction and operational costs.

Glossary

Global CBDC Development

European efforts to strengthen digital sovereignty reflect a global trend — over 130 countries are now researching or developing CBDCs. While designs vary by country based on regulatory culture and economic structure, most prioritize financial stability, user privacy, ease of use, and resilience. Infineon’s expertise in secured payment applications supports these goals.

Digital vs. Traditional Payments

Unlike conventional deposit-based payments—which move through layered bank infrastructures with processing delays and cut-off times — digital currencies operate as tokens transferred directly between wallets on continuous digital infrastructure with fewer intermediaries.

Security Through Self-Custody

This shift toward self-custody enables faster transactions and greater flexibility, but also elevates security importance: control of funds depends on wallet protection. Infineon’s Secure Elements provide the ideal platform for safely storing user credentials, tokenized assets, and private data.

Further Links