On Tuesday 14 July, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced the selection of 36 payment service providers (PSPs) from the euro area to take part in the digital euro pilot project. More than 50 applications had been received by the Eurosystem.
“Applicants were evaluated based on a set of pre-defined eligibility criteria. The selected participants, including banks and non-bank service providers, span a broad range of business models and sizes and offer broad geographical coverage, ensuring a diverse and representative testing and learning environment for the digital euro”, said the ECB in a statement on Tuesday.
The participating payment service providers will contribute to the establishment of a ‘beta’ version of the digital euro. Some of these providers – known as distributing PSPs – will provide Eurosystem staff with access to digital euro services, notably for account creation and payments, while others – known as acquiring PSPs – will support selected merchants and enable them to accept ‘beta’ digital euro payments. There will also be some providers who will perform both functions.
The pilot project will take place during the second half of 2027 at the ECB, as well as at national central banks of the euro area, except those located in Bulgaria and Malta.
View the list of selected providers: https://aeur.eu/f/mw6
View the eligibility criteria: https://aeur.eu/f/mw7 (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)