ECB seeks experts to help integrate digital euro into ATMs, card payment terminals

Policy Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email ECB seeks experts to help integrate digital euro into ATMs, card payment terminals The European Central Bank is preparing the ground should legislators enable the issuance of a digital currency and the bank's governing council approve issuing it. By Olivier Acuna | Edited by Sheldon Reback Mar 19, 2026, 2:46 p.m. Make us preferred on Google The ECB's work on ATM and retail payment rails moves forward before any final decision to issue the currency. (Christian Lue / Unsplash / Modified by CoinDesk) What to know : The European Central Bank is recruiting experts to help draft rules for how a potential digital euro would function in everyday payments, focusing on ATMs and in-store card terminals. One workstream will define how payment devices process digital euro transactions, including offline use and compatibility with existing standards, while another will design a certification process for payment tools and infrastructure. The digital euro project, now awaiting political approval with a possible rollout by 2029, is advancing alongside the Qivalis initiative, in which 12 European banks plan to launch a euro-pegged stablecoin in 2026. The European Central Bank (ECB) said it is looking for experts to help draft rules about how a digital euro would work in everyday payments in anticipation of legislation approving a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and a decision by the bank's governing council to issue one. The ECB opened applications for experts to help draft parts of the digital euro rulebook relating specifically to ATMs and card payment terminals used in stores, it said Thursday. ECB President Christine Lagarde said in December the bank had completed its technical and preparatory work on the digital currency and it was now up to political institutions to act. The project, which aims to create a public digital means of payment, is under review by the European Council and the European Parliament. If approved, the central bank has signaled a potential rollout by 2029. One workstream will define how ATMs and point-of-sale terminals process digital euro payments. This includes how devices connect, how they support offline transactions and how current payment standards can support the new currency. The goal is to ensure people pay with a digital euro at checkout or withdraw it from cash machines across the eurozone. A second group will design a certification process for payment tools and infrastructure. It will set how providers test and approve systems used to accept digital euro payments in stores and payment networks. While the central bank is working on the project, a group of 12 European banks are moving forward with their own version of a euro-pegged token. The banks, including BBVA, ING, PNB Paribas, have formed the Qivalis project, a plan to roll-out a euro-pegged stablecoin in the second half of 2026, aiming to offer blockchain payments without relying on dollar-backed tokens. More For You Major League Baseball signs prediction markets pacts with CFTC, Polymarket By Jesse Hamilton | Edited by Nikhilesh De 26 minutes ago The arrangement between the U.S. derivatives regulator and the professional sports organization is the first of its kind in overseeing sports events contracts. What to know : The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission signed a memorandum of understanding with Major League Baseball on an information-sharing agreement to aid consumer protections in prediction markets betting. At the same time, MLB secured a deal with Polymarket as its exclusive prediction markets partner. The arrangements were struck even as state gaming regulators continue to insist that they are the leading authority over sports betting and insist that prediction markets activity falls into that bucket. Read full story Latest Crypto News Bitcoin $20,000 put option is third most popular strike ahead of quarterly expiry 12 minutes ago Major League Baseball signs prediction markets pacts with CFTC, Polymarket 26 minutes ago CoinDesk 20 performance update: NEAR Protocol (NEAR) drops 3.3%, leading index lower 1 hour ago Browser maker Opera seeks 160 million CELO stake to become key network stakeholder 1 hour ago XRP treasury firm Evernorth discloses $233.7 million impairment on holdings in SPAC filing 2 hours ago Coinbase faces a multibillion-dollar threat from D.C. but a 'rewards' loophole could protect its stablecoin revenue 2 hours ago Top Stories Bitcoin slips below $70,000 as oil surge, Fed pause weigh on risk assets 4 hours ago Crypto.com cuts 12% of staff as it integrates AI across the business for efficiency 3 hours ago Capital is shifting into digital dollars as bitcoin wilts 3 hours ago SEC approves Nasdaq's move to support tokenized securities trading 18 hours ago Bitcoin OGs dump over $100 million in BTC after hawkish Fed dents rate cut hopes 7 hours ago Bitcoin, unusually, outperforms gold as hawkish Fed, oil price fuel risk-off sentiment 4 hours ago