Digital euro pilot
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Strong market interest shows the private sector’s readiness to help advance the digital euro and strengthen European payments.
The ECB aims to be ready for a potential first issuance of the digital euro during 2029, assuming the digital euro Regulation is adopted in 2026. To make the technical and operational preparations and lay the groundwork for a seamless and secure launch, we expect to run a 12‑month pilot starting in the second half of 2027.
The ECB will only decide whether to issue a digital euro once the Regulation has been adopted, and the Eurosystem’s preparation work will remain flexible to ensure it stays aligned with the legislative process.
The latest on the digital euro pilot
Following the call for expression of interest for payment service providers (PSPs) in March 2026, over 50 PSPs applied to join the digital euro pilot. After careful evaluation, we selected 36 PSPs from across the euro area, ensuring broad representation of business models, size and geography across the euro area.
PSPs selected to take part in the digital euro pilot
Each PSP can offer pilot services in several locations. The list of locations where participating PSPs will offer pilot services will be finalised later in the year.
| Payment service provider (PSP) | PSP application country | Payment service provider (PSP) | PSP application country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adyen N.V. | The Netherlands | Nova Ljubljanska banka d.d., Ljubljana | Slovenia |
| Banco Comercial Português, S.A. | Portugal | Numia S.p.A. | Italy |
| Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. | Italy | OP Retail Customers plc. | Finland |
| Banca Sella S.p.A. | Italy | PAYONE GmbH | Germany |
| Bank of Cyprus Public Company Limited | Cyprus | Piraeus Bank S.A. | Greece |
| BAWAG P.S.K | Austria | Poste Italiane S.p.A. | Italy |
| BPCE | France | Raiffeisen Bank International AG | Austria |
| Caixa Geral de Depósitos, S.A. | Portugal | Raiffeisenbank Austria d.d. | Croatia |
| CECABANK S.A. | Spain | Revolut Bank UAB | Lithuania |
| Cooperative Bank of Chania Cooperative of Limited Liabilities | Greece | RS2 Financial Services GmbH | Germany |
| Corvus Pay d.o.o | Croatia | Satispay Europe S.A. | Luxembourg |
| Deutsche Bank AG | Germany | Stripe Technology Europe, Limited | Ireland |
| DZ BANK AG | Germany | SumUp Limited | Ireland |
| Isybank S.p.A. | Italy | Tatra banka, a.s. | Slovakia |
| JCC Payment Systems Ltd | Cyprus | Uinku Payments Entidad de Pago S.L.U. | Spain |
| Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale | Germany | Unicre – Instituição Financeira de Crédito, S.A | Portugal |
| National Bank of Greece S.A. | Greece | UniCredit S.p.A | Italy |
| Nexi Payments S.p.A. | Italy | Worldline Financial Services (Europe) S.A. | Luxembourg |
Learn more through our sessions, workshops and documentation
Watch again: focus sessions for PSPs interested in participating in the pilot
We held three online focus sessions in January, March and April 2026 to explain the pilot timeline, the PSP selection process, application steps, participation conditions and key technical requirements.
Re-watch the recordings of the sessions hereWorkshops with technical service providers – March 2026
We met EU-based technical service providers to discuss how they can support PSPs in preparing for the digital euro pilot, and how we can assist them on consumer services (on the distribution side) and merchant acceptance (on the acquiring side).
Read the summary of the workshopsCall for expression of interest documentation
The call for expression of interest invited euro area payment service providers to apply to participate in the digital euro pilot. The call is now closed, but the related documents remain available for reference, including the call for expression of interest, annexes and supporting materials.
View the documentsSEE ALSO
All you need to know about the digital euro