ECB Opens Digital Euro Pilot to Online Merchants Across 19 Countries

The European Central Bank has issued a formal invitation to e-commerce and mobile commerce merchants to join the digital euro pilot, marking the latest organisational step before the central bank digital currency’s first live-conditions test. Eligible applicants must be retailers incorporated in the European Union and actively serving customers in at least two of the 19 designated pilot countries.

Merchants selected through this process will embed a beta version of the digital euro as a checkout option on their websites or apps. The trial period is set to run for 12 months, beginning in the second half of 2027, with Eurosystem staff serving as the initial purchasing cohort during that window.

This call follows a period of notable progress on the broader project. In July, the European Parliament voted to open trilogue negotiations on the digital euro’s enabling legislation, a process that had experienced substantial delays. Separately, the ECB named the 36 payment service providers selected to participate in the pilot. The merchant recruitment round now adds the retail layer to an ecosystem that, on this reading, is still assembling its components well ahead of any public rollout.