SFS 25 hosted a panel focused on the relationship between the Digital Euro and the Football Economy, featuring Luca Felletti, Sales & Marketing Director at Intesa Sanpaolo, Alessandro Giovannini, Digital Euro Project Leader at the ECB, and Gianfranco Previtera, Commercial Director at Almaviva, moderated by Marco Bellinazzo from Il Sole 24 Ore.
Giovannini opened the discussion by clearly explaining what the Digital Euro is and why it represents an inevitable transformation in a world where cash usage continues to decline. “The Digital Euro is simply the digital version of the banknotes in our wallets. Today, ATMs work abroad through non-European networks; the Digital Euro will ensure digital payments across Europe using European channels, as if you were paying with cash,” he said.
Felletti emphasized that the key concept for the future is “familiarity”—the ability of digital services to be simple, intuitive, and seamlessly integrated into users’ daily lives. “We want to compete on a global level. To achieve this, we must continue investing in mobile apps and infrastructure that make citizens’ lives easier,” he explained.
A central topic of the panel was global competition. Giovannini underlined that the ECB aims to provide a unified system across the EU that delivers a common experience while adapting to local needs. Felletti provided a concrete sports-related example: “Imagine a fan realizing their dream of attending the Tennis Finals. Our goal is to create a platform and wallet that allow them to manage everything—food, merchandising, ticketing—in a single digital space.”
Almaviva, selected by the ECB, will play a key role in developing the infrastructure and mobile app for the Digital Euro. Previtera highlighted the strategic importance of data management: “Our mission is to keep European citizens’ transaction data in Europe, which is often analyzed by international players. This is a truly European project with full European sovereignty.”
Giovannini also recalled a significant example from Euro 2024: “We saw that ticket purchases largely relied on non-European payment tools. It is essential to guarantee, at a European level, the possibility to participate in sports and cultural events with European payment systems. The Digital Euro will achieve this.”
The panel concluded with a symbolic but powerful note: for the first time, Italy is leading the development of the Digital Euro alongside the ECB and Almaviva. “We don’t know if the national team will make it to the World Cup,” Bellinazzo added with a smile, “but thanks to Intesa Sanpaolo and Almaviva, Italy will definitely be there in the world of digital finance.”
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SFS 25 hosted a panel focused on the relationship between the Digital Euro and the Football Economy, featuring Luca Felletti, Sales & Marketing Director at Intesa Sanpaolo, Alessandro Giovannini, Digital Euro Project Leader at the ECB, and Gianfranco Previtera, Commercial Director at Almaviva, moderated by Marco Bellinazzo from Il Sole 24 Ore. Giovannini opened the discussion by clearly explaining what the Digital Euro is and why it represents an inevitable transformation in a world where cash usage continues to decline. “The Digital Euro
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