Reuters reported, in a story republished by Euronext, that Riksbank Deputy Governor Per Jansson urged Swedish lawmakers on 2026-10-23 to revisit the e-krona as foreign stablecoins and the digital euro increase pressure on the krona’s use in payments. The key point for readers is that this is not an issuance decision: Jansson was quoted as saying Parliament would decide, while preparatory work could take at least five years.

Sweden Has Not Decided to Launch an E-Krona

No decision to issue an e-krona has been made. In the Reuters report republished by Euronext, Jansson said the Riksbank had not taken a position on issuing an e-krona and that the decision rests with Parliament, making this a renewed policy push rather than a launch announcement.

That distinction matters because the current trigger can easily be overinterpreted. The reported warning is that Sweden’s highly digital payments market could put the krona at a disadvantage if foreign stablecoins or the digital euro become more practical for cross-border or everyday digital payments. But that concern does not itself authorize issuance.

The clearest formal mechanism already on the table comes from the Riksbank’s Payments Report 2026. In its March recommendation, the central bank said Sweden should establish an inquiry into the legislative amendments needed for a possible e-krona, so that it could be introduced within a reasonable timeframe should the Riksdag later decide to permit the Riksbank to issue one.

The Next Supported Step Is a Legal Inquiry

The best-supported next policy step is a legal inquiry, not a production rollout. The Riksbank’s March 2026 recommendation said such an inquiry could be established by the government, or after Parliament instructs the government to do so.

Under that same March framework, the Riksbank proposed starting the inquiry once digital-euro regulation is finalized and the European Central Bank has decided to issue a digital euro. This provides important context for the latest push: the reported October urgency strengthens the case for preparing sooner, but does not in itself show that Sweden has formally changed the March condition or opened the inquiry.

The timeline should be read carefully. Reuters attributed to Jansson an estimate that legislation and other preparations would take at least five years, describing the burden of preparation rather than a confirmed launch date. On the ECB side, the central bank has said any digital-euro issuance decision would come only after legislation is adopted, and that 2029 is merely a conditional readiness target for a potential first issuance.

Taken together, this means Sweden is responding to a changing payments environment rather than following a fixed European countdown. The current debate is about whether Sweden should begin laying the legal and institutional groundwork before external digital-payment options become harder to counter with the krona alone.