The digital euro: what benefits would it bring to retailers and intermediaries?

02/12/2025

The digitalisation of payments is progressing steadily and the digital euro is set to become a key tool to enable secure, efficient and accessible transactions across the euro area. As explained by this post on the digital euroAbre en ventana nueva, this new means of payment would provide the general public with a modern version of cash. It would be accessible in both brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce, ensuring privacy and with no need for an internet connection.

It is also important to note that the digital euro has been conceived as a complement to cash, not as a substitute. The aim is to broaden the payment options available, while keeping cash as a fully valid alternative.

In this post we focus on the opportunities that the digital euro could bring to retailers and intermediaries, two key actors in its implementation.

Benefits for retailers

The digital euro is devised as a common payment solution for the entire euro area. For retailers, this would entail:

• Simpler and more consistent payments: It is an easy payment solution, inexpensive to implement and accessible to any euro area consumer.
• Greater bargaining power: Greater competition among payment methods would help retailers negotiate better conditions with their payment service providers.
• Improved online sales conversion rates: As a universal access means of payment providing users with a homogeneous experience, the digital euro is easy to use, familiar and could help more customers successfully complete their purchases.
• Enhanced resilience in proximity sales: Payments can be made offline at points of sale, with no need for an internet connection or electricity.
• Instant payments: Improving liquidity and facilitating financial management.

Advantages for intermediaries

Supervised intermediaries, such as banks, would play a key role in distributing the digital euro. Possible benefits include:

• Improved competitive position: They could expand their services to new euro area countries, supported by the digital euro’s open standards and infrastructure.
• New business opportunities: It would help develop value-added services such as conditional payments, fostering innovation.
• Attractive compensation model: The proposed European legislation envisages economic incentives for distributing the digital euro, similar to those in place for other comparable means of payment. In addition, intermediaries could require users to pay for certain non-basic services.

The Eurosystem would assume infrastructure (processing) and scheme management costs and would try to minimise the need for investments by market agents, reusing existing standards and processes as much as possible.

In short, the digital euro would not only benefit consumers, but would also open new opportunities for retailers and intermediaries in a more integrated, efficient and competitive environment.