The European Central Bank (ECB) is looking to test the digital euro’s payment and operational capabilities across 19 European Union countries.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has selected 36 payment service providers from across Europe to test the digital euro’s functionality.
The digital euro pilot will look to explore technical functional and operational processes for 12 months, starting in the second half of 2027. This also falls in line with the ECB’s roadmap for the launch of the digital launch in 2029.
The ECB sounded out interest from European payment service providers in March 2026, with those selected made up of banks, non-bank service providers and fintech firms.
The pilot will use a beta version of the EU’s digital euro. It will be functionally and technically similar to the digital currency plans outlined in its draft legislation, but will not have legal tender status.
ECB Executive Board Member, Piero Cipollone, said: “The strong market interest in the pilot shows the private sector’s readiness to engage actively and quickly advance with the digital euro project to strengthen the European payments landscape.
“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.”
The companies testing the digital euro
The 36 companies selected from more than 50 applications span 19 central banks including those from the following countries: Belgium, France, Germany Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.
Some of the selected payment service providers include: Stripe (Ireland), Revolut (Lithuania), Adyen (the Netherlands), Worldline (Luxembourg), Banca Sella S.p.A (Italy), RS2 (Germany), and BPCE (France).
Eurosystem staff from these providers will be given a beta digital euro account to pay merchants, and e-commerce businesses, with the central bank digital currency (CBDC).
European central banks will also be able to complete peer-to-peer transactions with the beta digital currency, both online and offline, at point-of-sale. Central banks will be able to make payments with e-commerce partners and mobile payments too.
Ulrike Schaeffter, Co-CEO and Chief Product Officer at RS2 Financial Services, said: “New payment systems can only earn the confidence of consumers and merchants when they work effectively in real-life situations. Practical testing is therefore an essential part of understanding how a possible digital euro could operate at the point of payment.
“Participating in the pilot gives RS2 Financial Services the opportunity to contribute its acquiring expertise, learn alongside other payment service providers and help evaluate the experience from the perspective of merchants and payment users.”
Digital euro roadmap progresses
The 36 company-wide pilot test is just another stop on the ECB’s roadmap to introduce a digital representation of the euro as it bids to protect Europe’s future sovereignty.
Cipollone, as well as ECB President Christine Lagarde, have continuously lobbied for a digital currency as a means to accommodate Europe’s digital payments evolution, as well as to fend off the threat of dollarisation, with US dollar stablecoins continuing to surge.
The most recent landmark victory for the ECB was the passing of a European Parliament vote which legislated for work to begin on legal framework for the digital euro.
Once the ECB has conducted its use cases and finalised a rule book for the digital euro, a rollout period of at least 23 months will be implemented to allow banks and other providers time to prepare, as well as to run awareness campaigns.
Members of the European Parliament also voted in favour for the digital euro to become available in countries where the euro is not the official currency. Non-EU countries would be subject to the same digital euro rules as EU nations, while the ECB has the power to restrict its access and use to non-EU countries, such as the UK and Russia.
