90% of the European population does not know what will consist of The digital euroas can be seen from a survey conducted by the European Organization of Consumer Beuc, to which the Spanish belongs Financial User Association (ASUFIN) and CECUwhich also points out that security, ease of use and absence of costs are the “priorities” of citizens for the digital euro.
Specifically, this survey, conducted in ten European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands) on a total of a total of 10,227 valid responsesit reflects “to what extent the European project that aims to contribute a digital alternative to cash remains a great stranger.”
A reality that reaffirms with the fact that even 42% of adults and 51% of young people He is not aware of what the digital euro is.
Also, the 46% of adults and 40% of young people is aware, but not informed, and just the 11% of adults and 9% Young people know exactly what the digital euro is.
They demand privacy and universal acceptance
On the other hand, the results show that if a new digital payment means (such as the digital euro) were introduced, the three most important characteristics should be Security and reliability (55% of the answers), ease of use (53% of the answers) and be free or with very low costs (49% of the answers).
Regarding the first characteristic, this survey indicates that, in the last five years, 22% of adults and 18% of adolescents They claim to have been victims of a security gap either fraud Related to a digital payment, to which it adds that a “large majority (86% of adults and 82% of adolescents) acknowledges being worried about not being able to recover their money in case of fraud or fraud.”
Regarding the ease of use, the study indicates that more than half (55%) of those who already use digital payment methods They recognize having difficultiesfrom technical errors to security problems or lack of skills, so it is simple to use is one of the most relevant facets for the population.
Finally, with respect to the cost of the hypothetical euro digital, the survey shows that “almost all the people surveyed (87%) believe that paying digital should be free, while 88% consider that every bank account should include a paymentless payment card.” Other aspects that consumers include The possibility of reimbursement in case of fraudprivacy and universal acceptance.
Support for cash is still “very high”
Likewise, the report emphasizes that support for cash remains “very high”, since 85% consider it important to continue accepting generalized in all shops. In fact, the 46% of adolescents and the 52% of adults They fear losing in the future the possibility of choosing between different payment methods.
The general director of Beuc, Agustín ReynaHe pointed out that “the digital euro will be attractive if it also offers ease of use for those who today have difficulties with digital payments, if it provides solid protection against fraud – including clear reimbursement rights – and if basic services such as the payment card are offered without cost.”
On his side, the director of CECU, David Sánchez Carpio, has stressed that the cash “remains necessary to save The digital gapsince it is fundamental in situations such as the recently lived with the blackout, where the ATMs did not work and the people needed to make some purchases or use public transport. “” It is the best system to keep our privacy safe, “he emphasized.
Finally, Asufin’s president, Patricia Suárezhas indicated that although Spain is a country “highly bankrupt, the introduction of the digital currency cannot delve into financial exclusion, which must be easily accessible and cannot assume the obligation to have a bank account.”
“That is why, although the European Central Bank (ECB) has stated that it has no capacity to manage millions of bank accounts of European citizens, In Asufin we support the idea that citizens can have an account directly in the ECB, without intermediaries “Suárez added, to end up concluding that “considerations such as this must move to citizens to understand the key importance of having a digital European currency.”
