[European Central Bank Selects 36 Payment Institutions for Digital Euro Pilot Launching in the Second Half of 2027] The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced the selection of 36 payment service providers (PSPs) from the Eurozone to participate in the digital euro pilot. The pilot will commence in the second half of 2027 and run for 12 months, conducted by the ECB and 19 Eurozone central banks. It will test functionalities such as digital euro payments, offline payments, e-commerce, and in-store transactions, while optimizing user experience to prepare for the potential official issuance of the digital euro. Following a call for expressions of interest issued to Eurozone PSPs in March 2026, over 50 applications were received, and 36 PSPs from multiple member states were ultimately selected, including Deutsche Bank, Adyen, Revolut Bank, Stripe Technology Europe, and Worldline.