By Vriti Gothi
Today
- AI
- Digital Banking
- Digital Euro
The European Central Bank (ECB) has appointed Italian digital innovation group Almaviva and Fabrick, a Sella Group company specialising in Open Finance at an international level, to develop the mobile application and technological infrastructure for the Digital Euro, the European Union’s new digital single currency.
Almaviva and Fabrick will design an intuitive, user-centric mobile app accessible via smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches, ensuring a secure and consistent digital payments experience for all EU citizens. Alongside the app, the two companies will create an open, interoperable infrastructure with dedicated SDKs and APIs, allowing European Payment Service Providers to integrate their services with the Digital Euro platform seamlessly. This approach will promote widespread adoption, encourage innovation across the payments ecosystem, and reinforce Europe’s technological autonomy.
Issued and guaranteed by the Eurosystem, the Digital Euro complements cash by providing a simpler, safer, and more inclusive payment option for use in physical stores, online, and between individuals. The official app will be standardised across all EU member states, delivering a consistent, reliable, and accessible experience.
The contract, awarded through a tender reserved for European companies, is structured as a temporary joint venture between Almaviva and Fabrick for an initial period of four years, with the possibility of extensions up to ten years. The first two years will focus on development and phased rollout of key use cases, followed by a two-year period to consolidate operations and ensure stability. Any extensions will support full functionality, user base growth, and ongoing maintenance and assistance. The maximum value of the framework agreement is approximately $179.6 million.
The Digital Euro represents a strategic milestone for European financial innovation, enhancing cohesion across the euro area, strengthening monetary sovereignty, increasing resilience against cyber and operational risks, and driving efficiency and innovation throughout the payments ecosystem.
