The European Central Bank (ECB) and 19 Eurosystem national central banks will prepare for the introduction of the digital euro in a pilot exercise, testing the digital euro in real-life situations, such as when shopping. The aim is to examine whether its functionality is reliable and user-friendly. The testing will be conducted for practice purposes; during the exercise, the digital euro will not yet be legal tender and will not be able to be used by the general public.

Timeline and participants

The pilot exercise is scheduled to start during the second half of 2027 and will continue for a period of one year. The insights gained are intended to refine the technical and practical implementation of the digital euro. The ECB aims to issue the digital euro from 2029 onwards, assuming that the relevant legal basis is adopted in the European Parliament by the end of 2026. 

A total of 36 payment service providers – including five German ones – will test the digital euro with selected retailers and Eurosystem staff as part of the pilot exercise. Small and large payment service providers from different countries and with different business models will take part. Participating payment service providers will be able to gain practical experience early on through the exercise. This will allow the digital euro to be adapted more effectively to the needs of users.

An important step on the road to the digital euro

A further milestone in the digital euro project was achieved at the beginning of July 2026: the European Parliament approved the Single Currency Package. Thus, the trilogue between the Parliament, the Council and the Commission was able to begin before the summer recess, too. It is important to note that the Single Currency Package also contains a regulation that will strengthen the role of cash as legal tender. The digital euro will not replace euro cash, but instead will complement it as a digital “twin”.