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The European Central Bank has selected two groups of technology and payments providers to supply the network infrastructure that will connect payment service providers and national central banks to the digital euro service platform.
ECB Selects Network Providers for Digital Euro
The appointments mark another step in the technical preparation for a potential digital euro, with the first contracts already beginning to support the pilot phase expected to start next year.
The selected providers are a grouping of Nexi Payments and Deutsche Telekom Business Solutions, and a second consortium comprising Telefónica de España, Telefónica Global Solutions and Indra Soluciones Tecnologías de la Información.
Pilot Connectivity Comes First
The contract with Nexi and Deutsche Telekom entered into force on 28 September 2026 and will initially support the connectivity requirements of the digital euro pilot.
The agreement with the Telefónica and Indra grouping is due to begin in May 2027.
Both providers are expected to be ready from 2029 to deliver the connectivity services required for a potential full issuance of the digital euro, although that remains subject to a future decision by the ECB Governing Council.
If the project moves into issuance, payment service providers offering digital euro services will be able to connect through either of the two network providers.
Resilience and Scalability Become Core Requirements
The network service providers will sit between PSPs, national central banks and the wider digital euro service platform, enabling communications between the system’s different components.
Nexi and Deutsche Telekom say their architecture is being designed to support high transaction volumes and peak-load conditions, with resources that can be adjusted as demand changes.
That emphasis on scalability and resilience reflects the infrastructure challenge facing the ECB.
A digital euro would need to operate across a large and diverse payments ecosystem while maintaining availability, security and consistent service levels across participating institutions.
Digital Sovereignty Remains Part of the Strategy
The appointments also reinforce the wider European policy objective of strengthening control over critical payments infrastructure.
Deutsche Telekom has framed its role in terms of supporting Europe’s strategic autonomy and digital sovereignty, themes that have become increasingly prominent as policymakers examine the region’s dependence on non-European technology and payment providers.
The 10-year service agreements are structured to give the ECB flexibility to adjust requirements during the pilot and any subsequent phases.
The significance of the decision therefore extends beyond selecting telecommunications suppliers.
The ECB is now assembling the operational infrastructure that would allow a digital euro to move from policy concept to functioning payment system — with connectivity, resilience and sovereignty becoming as important as the digital currency itself.
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