The European Central Bank (ECB) has selected 36 payment service providers to participate in its digital euro pilot.
The 12-month trial, starting in the second half of 2027, will test person-to-person and person-to-business transactions using a beta version of the digital euro without legal tender status.
Following a call for expressions of interest in March 2026, the Eurosystem reviewed more than 50 applications.
The final list includes both banks and non-bank providers, chosen to create a representative testing environment across different business models and sizes.
Participants will take on specific operational functions during the trial.
Distributing providers will give Eurosystem staff access to beta digital euro services, including account setup and payments, while acquiring providers will enable selected merchants to receive beta digital euro payments.
Several payment service providers will perform both roles.
The exercise spans the ECB and 19 national central banks across the euro area. Selected payment service providers may provide pilot services outside their home jurisdictions for the duration of the trial.
Central bank staff will test a range of daily use cases.
These include person-to-person transfers, which will function both online and offline. The trial will also cover retail transactions at physical points of sale and e-commerce checkouts.
Piero Cipollone, ECB Executive Board member and chair of the digital euro task force, said the strong application volume reflects private sector readiness to engage with the project.
“We look forward to deeper engagement as we work with and learn alongside European payment service providers in developing a secure, efficient and inclusive digital euro,”
Cipollone said.
The selected providers will now begin preparations with their respective national central banks ahead of the 2027 pilot.
The ECB plans to publish regular progress updates as the exercise helps refine the digital euro’s design and user experience.
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