The city of Lugano, located in southern Switzerland, is entering a new phase in the integration of digital assets and decentralized technologies into the city infrastructure. Stablecoin issuer Tether and the Municipality of Lugano announced the launch of Plan ₿ Phase II, covering the period 2026–2030. Following the first phase starting in 2022, digital sovereignty, technological resilience and long-term infrastructure development are prioritized in this new era.
Lugano’s Digital Asset Ecosystem
Over the last four years, Lugano has become one of the pioneers in real-world digital asset use in Europe. More than 400 businesses across the city accept both Bitcoin and Tether’s USDT stablecoin, as well as the city’s unique LVGA token. The municipality has experimented with digital bond issuances and blockchain-based payment models in public financial services. During this process, Tether made a significant contribution to digital transformation projects in the city with technical support and strategic infrastructure contribution.
Plan ₿ Phase II: Strategic Goals and Important Projects
The new phase focuses on five basic strategic pillars. The first of these is the development of the SwissLedger infrastructure, which aims to create an open blockchain for Swiss institutions. The second pillar aims to make Lugano the center for digital trade and commodity transactions, modernizing trading processes with tokenization and programmable payments.
The third heading includes privacy-oriented digital identity infrastructures and the implementation of zero-knowledge technologies that will enable voluntary, secure verification of citizens. The fourth strategic area involves the development of decentralized artificial intelligence and autonomous economic agents. Finally, a resilient metropolitan infrastructure is targeted with distributed networks, decentralized computer systems and advanced cyber security solutions to ensure uninterrupted maintenance of city services.
Tether expects to contribute up to 5 million Swiss francs over the next five years. This support; It includes technical expertise, hardware infrastructure investment, research and applied training projects. Governance and control remain entirely with the City of Lugano. According to plans, each new step will proceed with pilot projects and compatibility assessments.
PoW.space, created for blockchain and financial technologies, currently hosts over 100 companies. This area enabled the city to act as a bridge between the traditional financial sector and decentralized solutions. In addition, more than 4,000 participants from more than 60 countries recently participated in the Plan ₿ Forum, laying the groundwork for international cooperation on digital assets and urban infrastructure.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that the second phase is focused on infrastructure and durability and that they aim to support Lugano to become a digital infrastructure center on a global scale.
Ardoino stated that phase II focuses on infrastructure, resilience and local capacity increase, and that public administration and autonomy will be preserved in Lugano’s goal of becoming a digital infrastructure center on a global scale.
Mayor Michele Foletti noted that towards 2030, urban freedom will depend more on the ability to manage data and critical services.
Foletti stated that investments under Plan ₿ Phase II will be carried out to provide open and resilient digital infrastructure that prioritizes the general interests of the city.
