Digital euro: E-commerce pilot deadline nears

The European Central Bank (ECB) is looking for e-commerce and mobile commerce businesses to take part in its digital euro merchant pilot. According to the ECB’s call for applications, the deadline is 5 pm Central European Time on 27 October 2026.

The programme, scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027, does not constitute the general introduction of the digital euro. Participants will be able to test e-commerce acceptance of the beta version in a controlled environment while gaining experience of integration and the customer payment process.

What will the ECB test with merchants?

According to the ECB, the pilot will last 12 months and examine the operation and user experience of the beta digital euro. For online merchants, a central element may be integrating payments into the checkout process and assessing how the new solution works in realistic commercial situations.

According to the ECB’s project page, the beta digital euro used in the pilot will not be legal tender. The test therefore does not mean that customers will already be able to pay widely with digital euros or that merchants will be required to accept them.

The legal prerequisite for final issuance is the adoption of the relevant EU regulation. The project timeline is therefore not solely a technological matter: developments in the EU legislative process will also affect it.

Who might the application be relevant to?

The ECB’s call for applications is aimed at e-commerce and mobile commerce businesses operating in the euro area. According to a KuCoin News report, applicants are expected to serve customers in at least two euro-area countries.

For Hungarian businesses, selling into the euro area does not automatically establish eligibility. As Hungary is not a member of the euro area, Hungarian-based online shops exporting to euro-area countries should clarify directly with the ECB whether their operating model meets the conditions of the call before beginning technical planning.

When assessing eligibility, it may be important to consider the countries in which the business sells, where it operates a legal entity or establishment, which payment service provider it uses, and the markets in which it can generate actual test transactions. These details should not be replaced with a single general statement that “we also ship abroad”.

The payment service provider plays a crucial role

According to reports by FinanceFeeds and KuCoin News, selected e-commerce merchants will need to work with one of the 36 payment service providers preselected by the ECB in July 2026. This matters because participation involves more than simply adding a new payment button: cooperation on merchant acceptance, technical matters and testing may also be required.

Before applying, merchants should therefore check whether their current acquirer or payment service provider is participating in the initiative. If not, they should also assess the development and contractual implications of involving another provider.

According to a report by The Paypers, selected merchants will need to enter into a voluntary participation agreement with the ECB and an acquiring payment service provider. Before making a commitment, a business should review responsibilities, data processing, testing support and the conditions for withdrawal. This article provides general information and does not constitute legal or financial advice.

What should an online shop prepare for?

Applying may require both commercial and technical preparation. A business should first decide what question it wants to answer: whether it wishes to test a new payment method, examine checkout abandonment, or gain experience to support expansion in the euro area.

• Market presence: it is worth identifying the euro-area countries in which the business has active customers and where sufficient test transaction volumes can be generated.
• Payment infrastructure: the current acquirer, payment gateway and the integration points for any new solution should be mapped out.
• Checkout process and mobile experience: the payment steps, error handling, feedback and usability on mobile devices should be reviewed.
• Financial processes: it should be clarified how the pilot can be integrated with accounting, reconciliation, refunds and customer service.
• Data protection and security: data flows, access rights and internal responsibilities should be examined with legal and information security specialists.
• Internal capacity: input may be required from development, testing, finance, legal and customer service teams, so an initial resource plan should be prepared.

Two separate ECB calls must be distinguished

Alongside the merchant pilot, the ECB has issued a separate call for its digital euro innovation platform. The two programmes have different objectives and application deadlines, so interested parties must ensure that they select the correct procedure.

According to the ECB, the application deadline for the merchant pilot is 27 October 2026. By contrast, the innovation call document gives a deadline of 9 November 2026 and seeks participants for experimentation and exploration workstreams.

According to the innovation programme document, participation is voluntary and does not involve financial compensation. This condition should not automatically be applied to every aspect of the merchant pilot; businesses should always check the terms of the specific call and agreement they intend to join.

What stage has the digital euro project reached?

According to information from the Central Bank of Ireland, the digital euro’s two-year preparation phase concluded in October 2025, after which technical implementation and market cooperation came to the fore. The 2027 pilot is a testing stage within this process.

The same official information identifies 2029 as the possible date for the first retail issuance of the digital euro. However, this is a planned date, not a guaranteed launch date: progress also depends on the legal conditions being met and the necessary decisions being taken.

The digital euro should not be treated as a cryptoasset. The project aims to create a digital form of central bank money, whereas cryptoassets may differ in how they operate, their issuer arrangements and their risk structures.

Steps to take before the 27 October deadline

For interested businesses, the most important first step is to clarify eligibility. This can be followed by checking the payment service provider relationship, assessing technical dependencies, and then preparing an internal cost and capacity plan.

Participation may not necessarily generate direct revenue in the short term. Its value may instead lie in allowing the merchant to gain early experience of a potential new European payment solution and provide feedback on how it works before any wider introduction.

Hungarian exporting online shops must proceed particularly carefully, as being based outside the euro area while selling within it does not provide a clear answer on eligibility. Before applying, businesses should therefore seek written confirmation from the ECB and review the planned participation with their payment service provider and, where necessary, legal and data protection specialists.