[ECB President: Digital Euro Nears Launch, Eurozone Economy Shows Resilience] Odaily Planet Daily News – European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde stated that the Eurozone's inflation rate in September was 3.8%, primarily driven by high energy costs. The ECB expects related pressures to ease next year. She noted that the energy shock could keep the Eurozone's inflation rate above the ECB's target until the first half of 2027, but adopting a cautious policy response remains appropriate at this time. Christine Lagarde mentioned that the ECB is preparing the digital euro for everyday retail payments as a digital complement to cash. She emphasized that the digital euro will further promote innovation and competition in the retail payments sector. The ECB has already launched Pontes, which allows financial institutions to settle wholesale tokenized asset transactions using central bank money; the system currently offers core services and is expected to be fully implemented by 2028. (Cointelegraph)