The digital euro app and wallet
People would reach the digital euro through two kinds of app: the app of their own bank or payment provider, and an app the Eurosystem provides itself. The ECB issues the money and would not run customer accounts. Banks and payment providers keep the customer relationship. Dated events on payments and digital money are in the calendar below.
Two ways in: the bank app and the ECB app
Banks and payment service providers would add the digital euro as a feature of their existing apps. The digital euro account would be linked to a current account, so that a payment above the balance draws the rest from the bank account and incoming money above the holding limit flows back there. Digital euro holding limits describes this waterfall.
Next to them the Eurosystem is building its own app. Its progress report describes it as "a seamless, pan-European solution for both online and offline payments" that consumers can use alongside the apps of their providers. The customer still onboards through a supervised provider, which carries out the identity and anti-money laundering checks.
Planned functions of the digital euro app
The first functions are payments between persons, in shops and online, by contactless tap and QR code. The offline function works phone to phone without a network, so that people can still pay during power or network outages. The ECB designs the app for people with physical disabilities, low digital skills or learning impairments and aims for a low cognitive workload.
People without a smartphone or a bank account would get access too, for example through a card issued by a public body. Basic services would be free of charge for private persons under Article 17 of the Commission proposal, and merchants would pay a capped fee.
The pilot
In July 2026 the ECB selected 36 payment service providers for a pilot from more than 50 applicants, among them Deutsche Bank, UniCredit, BPCE, Revolut, Stripe and Adyen, and five German providers in total. The pilot starts in the second half of 2027, lasts a year and tests payments between persons and in shops, online and offline, with selected retailers and Eurosystem staff. The digital euro is not legal tender during the pilot, and the general public cannot use it.
The ECB aims to issue the digital euro from 2029, provided the legal basis is adopted by the end of 2026. Digital euro legislation covers that process, and digital wallets in payments how wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Wero work in Germany.
Upcoming payments events in Germany
Will there be a digital euro app?
Yes. The Eurosystem is developing its own app for online and offline payments, and banks and payment providers can offer the digital euro inside their own apps. Users choose either route.
Do I need a bank account to use the digital euro?
Access runs through a supervised payment service provider. The plans foresee access for people without a bank account, for example through public bodies, and a card for those without a smartphone.
Is the digital euro wallet the same as the EU digital identity wallet?
No. The digital euro app holds money, the EU digital identity wallet holds identity data and documents. The two can work together for onboarding, but they are separate products under separate laws.
The digital euro app and Finance Loop
Finance Loop is a strategic partner of the Digital Euro Association, host of the Digital Euro Conference in Frankfurt, where banks and central bankers discuss how the digital euro reaches customers. Finance Loop covers wallets and apps in its Payments & Digital Money track.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the adoption of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, digital payments, cloud and blockchain solutions. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.