According to Antonio Patuelli, President of ABI, the Italian Banking Association, "the big news now is the digital euro". An electronic currency issued by the ECB and distributed by banks is expected to arrive from 2026. "It will be the third institutional form of payment, after metal coins, the only means of payment for millennia, and after banknotes, a major nineteenth-century innovation albeit with initial risks, given the Roman Bank scandal in the late 1800s with banknote forgeries. The digital euro is different from debit and credit card forms of payment, and should not be confused with these electronic systems. We expect a traced instrument for combating money laundering. In addition, the ECB is defining a ceiling for its holding: the assumption is 3,000 euros for individual users. The digital euro is a technical innovation, so its limits will not be circumvented". Will it really combat evasion? "Yes. It is the third form of cash and for online payments it will be traceable. It is against evasion, avoidance, and money laundering. There is no alibi". It is said that banks will lose power, but "the digital euro," Patuelli assures, "is an important step in which banks will have a crucial function, because the digital wallet will go connected to a current account. The digital euro is a service that commercial banks will be able to provide".