seems like there are still ongoing efforts for digital currency aside from crypto and state-backed currencies.. OSS, this could be it.

In order to enable you to make such contributions, we will award at least > 676000 euro in small to medium-size R&D grants towards technology commons that > empower users, and establish a new generation of privacy-friendly digital > payments systems. The programme will run between now and November 2026, but > budgets are limited — so grab your opportunity.