Further, with such links, local investors will have easier access through their local securities settlement system to foreign securities, which will help increase intra-regional securities investment in the long run.
But before doing so, let me emphasise that the introduction of the euro banknotes and coins is – at the moment – the most important challenge for the ECB and the national central banks (NCBs) of the euro area. The euro banknotes are currently being produced by 15 different printing works throughout Europe, including those of a number of NCBs.