ECB Takes the Plunge: Digital Euro Pilot Launches on XRP Ledger and White Network

The European Central Bank just made its boldest crypto move yet—partnering with Ripple’s XRP Ledger and White Network for its digital euro pilot. This isn’t just a sandbox experiment; it’s a full-scale stress test for blockchain’s role in mainstream finance.

Why it matters: The ECB’s choice of infrastructure signals a quiet endorsement of enterprise-grade distributed ledger technology. XRP Ledger’s speed (1,500 TPS) and White Network’s privacy features solve two critical CBDC pain points.

The cynical take: Watch traditional banks suddenly discover ’blockchain potential’ now that central bankers are holding the leash. The pilot will run through 2026, with commercial banks and payment processors required to participate—whether they like it or not.

TLDR

• The ECB selects XRP Ledger and White Network for a 12-month CBDC pilot across 500 financial firms.

• XRP Ledger leads the ECB’s Digital Euro pilot with White Network adding compliance and resilience.

• ECB begins CBDC testing using XRP Ledger and White Network to power cross-border Eurozone payments.

• The ECB’s Digital Euro pilot uses XRP Ledger as core tech and WHITE as secondary infrastructure.

• The ECB launches a regulated, cross-border CBDC trial backed by XRP Ledger and White Network.

The European Central Bank has initiated a 12-month pilot for its official Digital Euro project, selecting XRP Ledger and WHITE Network as infrastructure providers. The program will test real-time settlement, cross-border payments and regulatory compliance across 500 financial institutions. This move marks a pivotal moment in Europe’s transition toward a central bank digital currency.

XRP Ledger Chosen as Primary Infrastructure for CBDC Transactions

The ECB selected XRP to support high-speed and compliant digital currency transactions across the Eurozone. XRP Ledger will serve as the primary infrastructure, delivering more than 1,500 transactions per second with sub-five-second finality. This ensures institutional-grade reliability and responsiveness in real-time financial environments.

🚨HAPPENING NOW 🚨

The European Central Bank will officially launch its Digital Euro pilot! $WHITE & #XRP are directly involved. 🤯

The ECB has listed @WhiteRock_Fi as a secondary platform alongside $XRPL, to help power Europe’s first regulated CBDC.

The 12-month program will… pic.twitter.com/gwgii8JZxz

— ⚔️ XRP Avengers ⚔️ (@XRP_Avengers) June 3, 2025

The Digital Euro pilot will restrict each transaction to a maximum of €10,000 to ensure safety and manageability during testing. XRP performance benchmarks align with these parameters, offering programmable, auditable and transparent transactions. The ECB will gather usage data to evaluate performance, integration capabilities and potential scalability.

The pilot will undergo three phases between June 2025 and May 2026. These include infrastructure validation, institutional integration and full-scale testing across regulated financial networks. XRP Ledger’s integration aims to demonstrate secure and efficient cross-border transaction capabilities in compliance with EU standards.

White Network Supports Pilot as Secondary CBDC Platform

The White Network by WhiteRock has been designated as the secondary infrastructure platform for the ECB Digital Euro trial. The network features institutional support tools designed to complement XRP Ledger’s capabilities in regulated environments. White Network will offer resilience and diversity to the pilot’s infrastructure stack.

White Network brings compliance-focused features tailored to European monetary regulations. These include smart contract governance tools, custody solutions and secure messaging protocols. As part of the program, it will serve in parallel to the XRP Ledger to enable diverse testing scenarios.

The White Network($WHITE) surged 350% in recent days amid strong market anticipation. The platform’s team also launched a fair token initiative rewarding early holders, creating additional incentives. WhiteRock expects increased institutional engagement as the pilot progresses and the ecosystem expands.

Program Execution and Policy Compliance Drive Broader CBDC Framework

The pilot operates under the ECB’s Digital Currency Innovation Division with full EU regulatory compliance embedded into all operational phases. Each of the 500 financial entities involved must adhere to transaction, security and reporting standards set by the central bank.

The phased rollout includes deployment, controlled testing and final performance analysis with key indicators guiding each phase’s success metrics. All infrastructure providers must meet high security, speed and stability benchmarks to remain in the pilot. The findings will inform the future structure of a fully implemented Digital Euro.

If successful, the ECB may use this pilot as the baseline for wider digital euro deployment. The integration of XRP and White Network will be continuously assessed based on user feedback and technical outputs. Upon pilot completion, final recommendations will be released after May 2026.