Woofun AI reports that the European Central Bank has advanced its digital euro initiative by selecting 36 payment service providers for a comprehensive pilot program. The roster features a mix of fintech giants like Stripe and Revolut, alongside traditional banking heavyweights such as Deutsche Bank, UniCredit, and BPCE. This selection marks a decisive shift from theoretical planning to active infrastructure testing for the proposed central bank digital currency.

The announcement, published on Tuesday, highlights diverging global strategies regarding digital assets. While Europe expands its CBDC testing, the US has moved to block the Federal Reserve from issuing a similar currency.

Notably, Revolut recently phased out support for Tether USDt for EU users, signaling a strategic pivot toward regulated digital assets. The ECB received more than 50 applications after opening calls for interest in March 2026, with the 12-month trial scheduled to commence in the second half of 2027.

Geographically, the participant pool is heavily weighted toward Italy, which claims seven selected entities. These include Poste Italiane, Nexi Payments, Banca Sella, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Isybank, and Numia, in addition to UniCredit. Germany follows with five selected providers, while Portugal and Greece each contribute three firms to the network.

Per Woofun AI, the operational scope is designed to create a broad testing environment across borders. Piero Cipollone, chairing the high-level task force, emphasized that the high level of participation reflects significant private-sector interest. The pilot will engage the central banks of 19 bloc-members, including Belgium, France, Spain, and the Netherlands, to evaluate beta digital euro services in a multi-jurisdictional context.

Selected providers will assume distinct roles, with some facilitating user access to beta services and others enabling merchants to accept payments. Several companies are tasked with handling both functions simultaneously. This structured approach aims to validate the system's efficiency and security before any potential token issuance.