The European Central Bank has opened applications for euro-area e-commerce and mobile-commerce merchants to join a 12-month digital euro pilot scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027. Selected businesses will enable beta digital euro payments in remote checkout settings, testing payment experience, technical functionality and operational processes. Participation will be voluntary and unpaid, with applications due by 17:00 CET on Oct. 27, 2026. The beta version will closely reflect the digital euro set out in draft legislation but will not have legal-tender status. Selected merchants will sign a participation agreement with the ECB and form a contractual relationship with an acquiring pilot payment service provider. The ECB selected 36 payment service providers in July, including Revolut, Stripe, Deutsche Bank and UniCredit. Any decision to issue the digital euro remains conditional on EU legislation and a separate ECB Governing Council decision.