The European Central Bank (ECB) released the Appia roadmap on Wednesday, outlining a long-term development plan for a European tokenized wholesale financial market based on central bank money. The roadmap revolves around two related initiatives: Pontes, a distributed ledger technology settlement solution for the Eurosystem, and Appia, a comprehensive strategic framework for building the future tokenized financial ecosystem. Pontes is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2026. ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone stated that Appia aims to build a path from the current financial system to the future tokenized market, with central bank money as a solid foundation. Pontes plans to integrate the market's distributed ledger infrastructure with the Eurosystem's TARGET service by the end of the third quarter of 2026. TARGET is the Eurosystem's payment and settlement system, encompassing the TARGET2 large-value payment system, the T2S securities settlement system, and the TIPS instant payment system. The ECB is also opening a public consultation, inviting public and private sector participants to provide feedback on the roadmap or submit proposals for implementation. The deadline for feedback is April 22.