Christine Lagarde Signals European Central Bank’s Interest in ‘Stablecoin’ Blockchain Currency

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks at the 13th Annual Capital Markets Summit at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington on April 2, 2019. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

In her first press conference as president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde pledged to get “ahead of the curve” in the evolving environment of “stablecoins,” considered to be less volatile versions of blockchain currencies because of their peg to a pool of assets.

Speaking at a Dec. 12 press conference, Lagarde’s topline message was that the European Union’s central bank would continue with “highly accommodative” monetary policy to buoy inflation. She dedicated part of her remarks, however, to addressing the ECB’s policy perspective on digital currencies.