ECB invites merchants to join controlled 2027 digital euro pilot

The European Central Bank has opened applications for EU-established online merchants to take part in a controlled pilot of the digital euro. The application window closes at 17:00 CET on Oct. 27. The pilot will let merchants test a beta payment flow in online and mobile checkouts; the beta will not be legal tender.

The call, published on Sept. 15, targets e-commerce and mobile-commerce businesses that serve customers in at least two of the euro-area countries included in the pilot. Applicants must operate platforms able to integrate the test payment flow. Selected merchants will be required to sign contracts and to connect with an acquiring payment service provider to accept test payments at checkout.

The pilot links merchants with a network of 36 payment providers selected by the ECB in July. Providers were chosen to act as acquirers, distributors, or in both roles. Acquiring providers enable merchants to receive payments; distributing providers give eligible users access to the beta service. The two-sided setup is intended to test both user access to the beta and merchant acceptance within live payment flows.

Participation is voluntary and unpaid. The pilot’s design is limited so the beta does not meet the definition of the digital euro in the proposed EU regulation and does not carry legal-tender status. Pilot documents state the exercise is intended to test payment rails, operational procedures and user experience under controlled conditions while keeping the instrument outside ordinary public money.

The ECB expects a 12-month operational phase to start in the second half of 2027. Primary operations are scheduled from the third quarter of 2027 through the third quarter of 2028. The operational window may be extended by up to six months if required. Before that phase, merchants and payment providers must complete integration and testing according to the pilot timetable.

The pilot will not determine whether a digital euro is issued. Any issuance would require approval of EU legislation and a separate decision by the ECB. Lawmakers in the European Parliament authorized negotiations on a proposed legal framework in July; the legislation was still under discussion when the merchant call opened.

Merchants selected for the pilot will test how the beta payment flow fits into existing online commerce systems and whether the setup functions across multiple euro-area markets. The application process aims to put the proposed payment method through practical commerce trials without changing its legal or monetary status.