By Laura Noonan, Jana Randow and Alexander Weber | Updated on Oct 09, 2026 at 12:56 PM
The European Central Bank would like euro-area consumers to be able to use digital euros in all online shops, some physical stores and to make payments to each other right from the start, according to a presentation seen by Bloomberg.
The Eurosystem, which comprises the ECB and its national peers, “sees value” in making available all three options in a first issuance of the currency that’s envisaged for the second half of 2029, the slides dated Oct. 2 show. Transactions in the latter two cases should be possible both online and offline, they say.
In-store payments weren’t previously considered as part of an initial rollout. Their inclusion is being proposed in response to lawmakers and market participants who “signaled the importance of its early availability in view of strategic autonomy,” the ECB said in the presentation.
The institution is waiting for legislation from Brussels to advance work on a digital version of its currency, part of a push to reduce Europe’s reliance on US payment providers. President Christine Lagarde said last month she’s “very hopeful” it’ll pass by year-end.
Negotiations between the European Parliament, the Commission and European governments have entered the final stage . Details on the rollout still have to be resolved.
An ECB spokesperson declined to comment.
A marked-up timeline suggests the ECB could be ready for first merchants to accept digital euro payments at physical points of sale in the second half of 2029, provided regulation is adopted this year. It also shows that the ECB expects to complete the majority of its phased deployment in approximately six to 12 months.
The ECB said in a report last October that the digital euro should be introduced in a “swift and structured manner,” proposing a “staggered roll-out featuring a well-defined sequence and combination of use cases.”
While a gradual rollout would take into account implementation time and costs, the legal tender nature of the digital euro also “needs to be considered,” the ECB said in the presentation, which argues in favor of starting with a wider use.
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