Earlier on March 20, ECB President Christine Lagarde told lawmakers in Brussels that Europe must accelerate progress on retail and wholesale versions of the digital euro to strengthen financial sovereignty and reduce external vulnerabilities.
The ECB said it has signed framework agreements covering fraud detection, application development, offline payments, and secure data exchange. Each service area will have a primary provider and an alternate to ensure continuity.
Feedzai and Capgemini Deutschland were selected to oversee fraud and risk management. Almaviva and Fabrick will work on app and software design, while Giesecke+Devrient will focus on offline payment functionality.
EquensWorldline and Senacor FCS will manage secure information exchange. Sapient GmbH and Tremend Software Consulting were chosen across multiple categories.
The ECB noted it plans to announce an additional provider for offline services later.
The central bank emphasized that the contracts do not involve any payments at this stage and can be revised in accordance with EU legislation.
If launched, the digital euro would coexist with physical money and aim to enhance payment efficiency while reducing reliance on private stablecoins.
However, officials have also signaled that a rollout, if approved, may not occur until the latter part of the decade.
