The European Central Bank has opened applications for online merchants to join a controlled pilot of the digital euro, its proposed retail central bank digital currency. EU-established e-commerce and mobile-commerce businesses can apply until October 27 to participate in the test.
Applicants must serve customers across at least two euro-area countries included in the pilot and operate an active platform with the flexibility to integrate the test payment flow. Merchant participation is voluntary and unpaid.
Pilot Structure and Timeline
The pilot will connect merchants with 36 payment providers selected by the ECB in July. The 12-month operational phase is expected to begin in the second half of 2027, running from the third quarter of 2027 through the third quarter of 2028, after integration and testing periods. The operational phase could be extended by up to six months.
Distributing providers will give eligible users access to beta services, while acquiring providers will allow merchants to receive test payments. This structure lets the pilot test both access to the service and merchant acceptance.
Legal and Regulatory Status
The beta will not constitute the digital euro defined under the proposed EU Regulation and will not carry legal-tender status. This boundary allows the Eurosystem to test payment rails, operating processes, and user experience under controlled conditions without making the instrument ordinary public money.
The exercise will inform technical work but will not decide whether to issue a digital euro. The European Parliament authorized negotiations on the proposed legal framework in July. Even after lawmakers adopt a framework, the ECB would still need to make a separate issuance decision.
