European Central Bank tells MEP it neither purchases nor holds crypto-assets and points to annual disclosures of officials’ investments

The European Central Bank published a reply from President Christine Lagarde to Member of the European Parliament Fabio De Masi stating that the ECB does not purchase or hold crypto-assets and that assets eligible for purchase under its monetary policy portfolios are set out in publicly available legal acts. The letter adds that private financial transactions are not connected to the ECB’s accounts, operations or asset portfolios and cannot be carried out through the ECB because it does not hold private accounts for ECB staff or officials. It also notes that, under the Code of Conduct for high-level European Central Bank officials, investment-related private financial transactions are disclosed through Declarations of Interests that are updated and published annually on the ECB’s website.