ECB chooses network service providers ahead of digital euro pilot
30 October 2026 Europe
Image: olrat/stock.adobe.com
The European Central Bank (ECB) has chosen two network service providers (NSPs) as part of the preparation phase for the digital euro pilot and its potential issuance, following the 27 August 2025 call for applications.
The ECB’s contract with first-ranked provider Nexi Payments and Deutsche Telekom Business Solutions took effect on 28 September 2026, initially for the digital euro pilot’s connectivity requirements.
Telefónica de España, Telefónica Global Solutions, and Indra Soluciones Tecnologías de la Información, the second-ranked group, will commence their contract in May 2027.
The NSPs will facilitate connections among participating payment service providers (PSPs), national central banks, and the digital euro service platform, and will enable communication between the platform’s different components.
The bank says both NSPs will be ready by 2029 to deliver the connectivity services required for potential digital euro issuance, subject to the ECB Governing Council’s decision on the project’s next phase.
Any PSPs seeking to offer the digital euro will be able to connect to its components through either of the NSPs.
According to the ECB, the service agreements in place are designed to give it the “flexibility to adjust the services requested” during the pilot and any subsequent phases of the project.
The ECB’s contract with first-ranked provider Nexi Payments and Deutsche Telekom Business Solutions took effect on 28 September 2026, initially for the digital euro pilot’s connectivity requirements.
Telefónica de España, Telefónica Global Solutions, and Indra Soluciones Tecnologías de la Información, the second-ranked group, will commence their contract in May 2027.
The NSPs will facilitate connections among participating payment service providers (PSPs), national central banks, and the digital euro service platform, and will enable communication between the platform’s different components.
The bank says both NSPs will be ready by 2029 to deliver the connectivity services required for potential digital euro issuance, subject to the ECB Governing Council’s decision on the project’s next phase.
Any PSPs seeking to offer the digital euro will be able to connect to its components through either of the NSPs.
According to the ECB, the service agreements in place are designed to give it the “flexibility to adjust the services requested” during the pilot and any subsequent phases of the project.
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