ECB sets out digital euro, Pontes and Appia plan

• The ECB says the Governing Council will decide on a digital euro only after legislation is adopted.
• A digital euro pilot is planned for the second half of 2027 and will run for 12 months.
• Pontes was launched on 21 September and Appia aims to deliver a blueprint in 2028.

Action

Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB Executive Board, set out the central bank’s digital money strategy in Frankfurt on 6 October 2026. He said the ECB is preparing a digital euro for retail payments and advancing Pontes and Appia for wholesale markets.

ECB sets out digital euro, Pontes and Appia plan

He said the Governing Council will decide whether to issue a digital euro only after the legislation is adopted. If the legislative process is fully concluded by the end of 2026, the ECB aims to be ready for a potential first issuance in 2029.

Respondents

Cipollone said banks and other regulated payment service providers would distribute the digital euro, manage customer relationships and develop complementary services. He said the ECB would not provide customer-facing services.

He said the ECB has signed agreements with the European Card Payment Cooperation, nexo standards and the Berlin Group to reuse established European technical standards for digital euro payments.

Effective

The Council of the European Union agreed its position in December 2025. The European Parliament adopted its position in July 2026, and trilogue negotiations are under way.

The digital euro pilot is planned to begin in the second half of 2027 and run for 12 months. The ECB selected 36 payment service providers after a call that drew more than 50 applications.

Pontes was launched on 21 September. The service will be enhanced progressively, and full implementation is expected by mid-2028.

The ECB opened a call on 15 September for e-commerce and mobile-commerce merchants to take part in the digital euro pilot.

Penalty

No penalty was announced.

Cipollone said the Eurosystem would bear the costs of establishing and operating the digital euro core infrastructure and would not charge scheme or processing fees for digital euro transactions. He also said banks and payment service providers would be compensated for the services they provide.