The EU believes a digital euro is the answer to cutting its reliance on U.S. payment systems like Visa and Mastercard as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay as the bloc pushes for greater digital sovereignty.

Brussels hopes it could provide an alternative local option for any payments in shops or online since people could easily pay, just like other systems, using a card, an app or via their banking app.

The European Union will move one step closer on Tuesday to creating a digital euro when EU lawmakers hold a long-awaited vote on the virtual currency.