As Italy's already massive public debt soars further due to the coronavirus crisis, its authorities are calling on ordinary citizens to help fund recovery efforts.
The plan could aid immediate financing needs but will do little to allay eventual default risks. Italy's public debt has long been seen as a fault-line for the survival of the euro zone, and analysts say the pandemic is raising fresh questions about the sustainability of borrowings.
For now, even with a debt which economists see heading towards at least 170% of national output this year, Italy is safe thanks to the European Central Bank's massive bond purchases, recently expanded under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP).