The European Central Bank has hired ING's global director of payments, Evelien Witlox, to head up its digital euro programme.
Following experimental work earlier in the year, in July the ECB greenlighted a two-year investigation into the prospects for launching a central bank digital currency.
Witlox will lead this work as digital euro project programme manager when she joins the central bank in January as part of the senior management team of the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments.
The investigation phase is designed to address key issues regarding design and distribution of a digital euro that meets the needs of Europeans while at the same time helping to prevent illicit activities and hurting financial stability and monetary policy.
Witlox has been at ING for five years following a 10-year stint at Equens. She is also a member of the European Payments Council board.