ECB Selects 36 Payment Firms for Digital Euro Pilot Ahead of 2027 Launch

The European Central Bank has chosen 36 payment service providers to take part in the next phase of testing for a digital euro, moving the long running project closer to real world use. The announcement came after more than 50 companies applied following a call for interest opened in March 2026.

Banks and Fintechs Join the Trial

The selected group mixes big fintech names like Stripe and Revolut with established lenders such as Deutsche Bank, UniCredit and BPCE. Revolut has been in the news recently for scaling back some crypto services in the EU, including dropping support for Tether’s USDt.

Italy Leads Country-Wise Participation

Italy has the highest number of chosen firms, with seven companies including UniCredit, Poste Italiane and Nexi Payments taking part. Germany follows with five, while Portugal and Greece each have three.

Pilot Set for Late 2027

The 12-month pilot is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027 and will run alongside central banks from 19 eurozone countries. ECB board member Piero Cipollone said the strong response shows real interest from the private sector in shaping the digital euro’s future.

This comes as the US recently moved to block the Federal Reserve from issuing its own central bank digital currency, highlighting differing global approaches to digital money.