France, June 25 -- The European Central Bank (ECB) secured key parliamentary backing on Tuesday for the launch of the digital euro - an electronic currency aimed at making the eurozone less reliant on American-owned payment systems such as Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

The approval of draft rules by the economic committee of the European Parliament comes after three years of wrangling between the ECB and European banks, which had voiced concerns about deposit outflows and lost revenues and sought to limit the scope of the project.

Brussels hopes the digital euro will provide a local alternative for payments in shops or online, allowing people to pay using a card, an app or their banking app in a way that feels familiar.

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