ECB digital euro network service providers selected in October 2026 tender

On 30 October 2026 the European Central Bank announced the selection of two consortia to act as network service providers for the digital euro. The first-ranked grouping of Nexi Payments and Deutsche Telekom Business Solutions signed its contract on 28 September 2026. The second grouping of Telefónica entities and Indra Soluciones will begin work in May 2027.

Contract scope and technical requirements

The selected providers will supply connectivity services that link participating payment service providers, national central banks and the Digital Euro Service Platform. This infrastructure carries messages between all components of the system and replaces any single point of failure with a dual-provider model. Both 10-year agreements allow the ECB to adjust service volumes during the pilot phase and later stages.

The first contract covers initial connectivity for the ongoing digital euro pilot. The second contract starts operations in May 2027. Both providers must reach full operational readiness by 2029 to support a possible issuance decision by the ECB Governing Council. Payment service providers offering the digital euro may route traffic through either network.

The agreements include performance monitoring, security standards and the ability to scale capacity without renegotiating core terms. These features mirror existing Eurosystem arrangements used for TARGET services.

Background and next project steps

The call for applications opened on 27 August 2025. The tender formed one part of separate procurement streams that also cover fraud and risk management tools as well as offline payment capabilities. The dual-provider approach reduces dependency on any single supplier and aligns with the Eurosystem’s long-standing resilience requirements.

Technical preparations continue while the ECB Governing Council awaits further legislative progress at EU level. Pilot activities will expand with the new connectivity layer in place. A final decision on issuance remains subject to both technical readiness and political approval.

Market participants can monitor contract milestones through the ECB’s regular project updates. Payment service providers interested in joining the pilot receive connection specifications directly from the selected network operators once onboarding windows open.