Furthermore, in the ten years prior to the introduction of the euro (1989-1999), growth in the euro area on average lagged behind that in the United States by almost 1%. However, it should be noted that the introduction of the euro is not associated with the increase in this growth gap.
Meanwhile, there are some central banks which are seriously considering whether they should issue digital currencies. According to their official statements they see the potential value of central bank digital currencies for enhancing the efficiency of transactions or providing risk-free payment instruments to the general public. None of them aims to replace bank deposits with central bank digital currencies.