Eurosystem to invite payment service providers to participate in digital euro pilot

28 November 2025

The Eurosystem will launch a call for expression of interest in 2026 to invite European payment service providers to participate in a digital euro pilot that will take place during the second half of 2027.

This announcement follows the ECB Governing Council’s decision to move to the next phase of the digital euro project, advancing its technical readiness and launching pilot exercises. The final decision on whether to issue a digital euro will only be taken once the relevant EU legislation has been adopted.

The pilot is expected to last for 12 months with a view to validating the technical, functional and operational readiness of the digital euro. These exercises will involve validating digital transaction processes in a controlled environment with a limited number of participants. These digital transactions will be designed to replicate the digital euro’s technical design but they will not have legal tender status.

The pilot will involve only Eurosystem staff, selected merchants that already provide everyday services on the office premises of the ECB and of euro area national central banks (e.g. cafeterias or restaurants), as well as selected e-commerce. Eurosystem staff will have the opportunity to make payments from person-to-person (both online and offline) and from person-to-business (both at the physical point of sale and in e-commerce).

Participating payment service providers will be selected based on their capabilities and a set of pre-defined selection criteria. Furthermore, the pool of selected payment service providers will need to ensure representative coverage of the Euro area market in terms of size, geographical coverage and market reach.

Selected payment service providers will collaborate with the Eurosystem to develop, implement and test various pilot payment use cases. Selected participants will gain first-hand experience of a simulated digital euro ecosystem and their feedback will further shape its technical specifications. Their participation will not be remunerated.

The pilot is due to take place in three main phases:

1. Assessment phase: the call for expression of interest will be published, payment service provider applications will be evaluated and applicants will be notified of the selection outcome.
2. Preparation phase: updated documentation will be provided to the pre-selected payment service providers and they will need to confirm their interest in participating in the pilot and sign the participation agreement.
3. Implementation phase: selected payment service providers will collaborate with the Eurosystem to refine the operating system, conduct testing, onboard end users, process digital transactions and collect end user feedback.

To support payment service providers in their preparation for the call for expression of interest, which is due to take place in the first quarter of 2026, the Eurosystem will hold online information sessions. These will provide an opportunity to engage directly with the Eurosystem and to ask questions. Further details about these sessions, including dates and registration information, will be shared in the next few weeks on the Eurosystem’s communication channels.