If your merchants already take cards, the draft law likely forces digital euro acceptance too

The Commission's 2023 proposal would give the digital euro legal tender status. That means most payees must accept it, with clear exceptions. Microenterprises and people acting in a purely personal capacity can refuse, unless the microenterprise already accepts comparable digital payments at the point of interaction. Natural-person payees and firms that only take remote credit transfers, direct debits, or cash stay out of scope. Payees also cannot hide behind standard terms that ban digital euro; only an individually agreed different means of payment works.

This is still a proposal in the legislative process, not adopted law. Council texts keep the same logic: if a merchant already takes card or other digital means at checkout, mandatory acceptance is the default once the regulation lands.

For acquiring PSPs, the work starts now. Map which merchant clients already accept digital payments and would fall under the rule. Plan SoftPOS, e-commerce and m-commerce acceptance paths that match the draft rulebook's acceptance solutions. And brief those merchants early, so checkout changes are not a last-minute scramble when the co-legislators finish.