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Thursday’s European Central Bank (ECB) interest rate decision brought more than just a policy update. ECB President Christine Lagarde made it clear that Bitcoin would not be considered for the eurozone’s central bank reserves.
During the official press conference following the ECB’s latest 25-basis-point interest rate cut, Lagarde expressed unanimous concerns among policymakers about liquidity, security, and regulatory scrutiny, which she believes disqualify Bitcoin as a reserve asset.
The interest rate reduction, which is the fifth since June 2024, has lowered the ECB’s deposit facility rate to 2.75%. Lagarde’s remarks underscore the ECB’s stance on the need for reserves to be liquid and secure. She emphasized that reserves must not be associated with any suspicion of money laundering or other criminal activities, a consensus shared by the Governing Council and likely the General Council as well.
Lagarde has previously spoken out about the risks associated with Bitcoin. In January 2021, she called the cryptocurrency "highly speculative" and advocated for strong global regulation to mitigate financial crime risks. At the Reuters Next (LON:NXT) conference, she pointed to "some funny business and some interesting and totally reprehensible money laundering activity" associated with Bitcoin.
Despite the ECB’s position, Bitcoin’s price has seen a recent uptick. In the past 24 hours, the cryptocurrency’s value has risen by 3%, with the price hovering around the $105,000 level at the time of reporting. This price movement is indicative of the ongoing volatility and speculative nature of digital assets, a characteristic that central banks like the ECB find unsuitable for their reserve holdings.
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