Tivat, (MINA-BUSINESS) – Governor of the Central Bank (CBCG) Irena Radovic said that, during this year’s discussions with European institutions, Montenegro expressed strong interest in being considered as a pilot jurisdiction for the digital euro in countries outside the euro area and outside the European Union that use the currency.

“As a fully euroised economy, Montenegro is a natural environment for testing the cross-border usability, interoperability and inclusiveness of the digital euro, with an agile financial system, a high degree of openness and continuous alignment with European payment infrastructure,” Radovic added. 

Speaking at a panel titled “The Future of Money in Digital Europe: Perspectives from Central Bank Governors” during the Adria Future Summit 2026, she said that the digital euro is not merely a technological innovation, but also an important step in the further development of Europe’s financial architecture.

The panel brought together central bank governors from across Europe to discuss the implications of the digital euro and modern payment innovations for financial stability and the resilience of national financial systems.

“Early interoperability with new European financial systems is of strategic importance for Montenegro, because integration into the European payments infrastructure means lower transaction costs and greater competition in payment services for smaller economies. At the same time, this is also a matter of economic convergence with the European Union, since true integration does not happen only through formal accession, but also through gradual inclusion in the functional layers of the single market,” said Radovic.

The panel of governors at the Adria Future Summit 2026 sent a clear message: the future of Europe’s monetary system will not depend on a single instrument, but on the ability of different layers of financial infrastructure, from SEPA and instant payments to the digital euro and new solutions based on advanced technologies, to function in a coordinated, interoperable and inclusive manner.

“In this context, Montenegro is recognized as a country that not only keeps pace with European developments, but also seeks to take part in them in a timely and meaningful way, reaffirming its commitment to the modernization of the financial system and to further European integration,” the press release reads.