Austria CBDC Tracker

Austria is in the research phase of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) development.

Note: This page is dedicated to the work done by the government in Austria. However, Austria is a member of the European Union and Eurozone. If the European Central Bank launches a CBDC (referred to as a digital euro), then this page will be changed to reflect that. Until then, the Eurozone page has notes about the development of the digital euro.

CBDC History and Development

The Oesterreichische Nationalbank’s 2019 Annual Report noted that the European Central Bank was working on a CBDC. The report said, “Discussions will also focus on central bank digital currency (CBDC) and on how to consider 'green finance' in monetary policy while maintaining both price and financial stability.”

The Oesterreichische Nationalbank’s 2020 Annual Report noted that the European Central Bank was working on a CBDC.

In June 2021, the Oesterreichische Nationalbank announced that it would “provide a wholesale central bank digital currency” for a research project called DELPHI, or “Delivery vs. Payment Hybrid Initiative.” The central bank also noted that “the wholesale CBDC applied in the DELPHI initiative will be used solely for research purposes and should therefore not be taken as an indication that the OeNB intends to issue a wholesale CBDC in the future.”

In July 2022, the Oesterreichische Nationalbank published a survey of Austrian’s views on CBDCs. Of those survey, 46 percent were uninterested in a CBDC and another 37 percent said they had limited interest.

In November 2024, the Oesterreichische Nationalbank hosted an event to discuss how CBDCs might be used in practice. Specifically, the event covered the use of self-hosted wallets.

In July 2025, the Oesterreichische Nationalbank published a study conducted with the Boston Consulting Group. The study claimed that “CBDCs show increasing promise as a foundational element in the future of global finance,” but also noted the rise of stablecoins.

Human Rights and Civil Liberties Concerns

Austria ranks highly across many metrics, according to Freedom House. Furthermore, it must be said that the ability of the Austrian government to abuse a CBDC directly is debatable because the CBDC that would be used in France would be provided by the European Central Bank—representing the European Union. Even then, however, it’s important to recognize that the creation of a CBDC could open the door to risks to financial privacy and financial freedom.

For additional information on concerns regarding violations of human rights and civil liberties, see the following reports by Amnesty International, Financial Tyranny Index, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Privacy International, and the U.S. Department of State. For additional information on concerns regarding the risks of CBDCs, see the following webpage and report by the Cato Institute: The Risks of CBDCs and Central Bank Digital Currency: Assessing the Risks and Dispelling the Myths.

For additional information regarding metrics, the methodology page explains each of the data points and provides their respective sources.