ECB picks 36 payment providers to test digital euro ahead of 2027 pilot
The European Central Bank is moving the digital euro from planning into testing, with dozens of payment companies joining the next stage of the project. The ECB selected 36 payment service providers (PSPs) to participate in a digital euro pilot, according to an official announcement published Tuesday. The list of selected PSPs includes fintechs Stripe and Revolut alongside traditional banks including Deutsche Bank, UniCredit and BPCE. Revolut has recently adjusted some cryptocurrency services for EU users by phasing out support for Tether USDt. The pilot comes as governments take different approaches to digital currencies. While Europe is expanding testing of its proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC), the US has moved to block the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC. Italy tops list of digital euro pilot providers The ECB began selecting providers from across the euro area for its digital euro pilot earlier this year, with the 12-month trial set to begin in the second half of 2027. The central bank said it received more than 50 applications from payment companies after opening a call for interest in March 2026. The selected participants include traditional banks, payment processors and non-bank service providers.Source: ECB Italy has the largest number of selected participants, with seven companies joining the