ECB Sets Key Dates for Digital Euro Pilot Project in October 2026
The European Central Bank (ECB) has opened its digital euro pilot project to applications and set two key dates in October 2026. The first is an online information session on October 6, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. CET, which is open to anyone interested in learning more about the pilot, including merchants, payment service providers, technical service providers, and consumers.
The second date is October 27, 2026, when the application window for merchant expressions of interest will close. This is not a binding sign-up for the pilot itself, but rather an opportunity for merchants to help design and test digital euro payment flows for online and mobile platforms.
The ECB has selected 36 payment service providers authorized in the euro area to participate in the pilot, along with selected merchants and staff of the ECB and national central banks. The pilot is a test of a beta version of the digital euro under real conditions, examining its robustness, user-friendliness, and scalability.
The ECB has clarified that the digital euro is not a competing investment product to crypto assets like Bitcoin or stablecoins, but rather a means of payment designed to target the same use case as euro stablecoins. The pilot is due to begin in the second half of 2027 and run for twelve months.