Birth of a Coin in Europe

January 4, 1999 saw the debut of a currecy, not a crypto currency but a fit one that should help an entire continent. The Euro was uniting Europe with a currency debuting as a financial unit in corporate and investment markets.

Eleven European nations launched the currency hoping to increase European integration and economic growth. The money as cash / coin was circulating in 2002 and replaced the previous local currencies.

Investopedia on current status of the community in the following

Of course, the euro is not without controversy. Many smaller member nations believe the system is tilted in the favor of large nations. While this may be true, the benefits of being a member outweigh the negatives, and there is no shortage of nations seeking membership. The biggest benefit of the euro is that it is managed by the European Central Bank. The ECB has to balance the needs of all the member nations and therefore is more insulated from political pressure to inflate or manipulate the currency to meet any one nation's needs. The problem with Europe before the euro, specifically with the European Exchange Rate Mechanism meltdown, was countries altering their own currencies to meet short-term economic needs while still expecting foreign nations to honor the increasing unrealistic exchange rates. The euro has removed much, but not all, of the politics from the European currency markets , making it easier for trade to grow.