The digital euro is intended to complement cash as a digital form of central bank money and to be available for both online and offline payments. For banks and payment service providers, this will create new requirements across payment processing, customer interfaces, acquiring and issuing, terminals, as well as IT and operating models.

Regulatory, technical and operational preparations should therefore begin at an early stage. A political decision is expected by the end of 2026, with the first concrete implementation measures potentially following from 2027 onwards. A rollout appears realistic no earlier than 2029.