The European Central Bank shifted to the next stage of its digital-euro project — preparing the ground to issue the currency in the coming years, though a final decision has yet to be taken. The Governing Council gave the green light to move to a “preparation phase” that will initially last two years, the ECB said Wednesday in a statement. During that time, the ECB will complete its rulebook and select providers to develop a platform and the needed infrastructure. “We need to prepare our currency for the future,” ECB President Christine Lagarde said. “We envisage a digital euro as a digital form of cash that can be ... (full story)