OVHcloud joins ECB cloud programme for digital euro

OVHcloud has been selected by the European Central Bank (ECB) as one of a group of cloud service providers working on the digital euro project, adding a Europe-based infrastructure supplier to the technical programme behind the planned central bank digital currency.

The engagement focuses on cloud infrastructure that OVHcloud operates within the European Union. The digital euro work forms part of the ECB's wider preparations for a new form of central bank money for electronic payments.

The ECB has outlined use cases including payments in shops, online, and between individuals. Any decision to issue a digital euro remains subject to the EU legislative process and a future decision by the ECB's Governing Council.

Cloud supplier

OVHcloud's role is tied to SEPI (Secure Exchange of Payment Information), which the project uses as part of the digital euro architecture. SEPI is intended to enable the secure exchange of payment information between organisations that would participate in the future digital euro system.

Senacor Technologies was selected through the ECB tender procedure to develop SEPI. OVHcloud is participating via Senacor, providing infrastructure aligned with ECB requirements.

The development adds to a growing list of technology and services firms positioning themselves around European public-sector and financial-market needs. Policymakers and regulators in Europe have increased their focus in recent years on data location, operational resilience, and supply-chain concentration.

Sovereignty focus

OVHcloud presented the assignment as part of a wider push for what it describes as sovereign infrastructure in Europe, and said it will use data centres within Europe for the digital euro work.

According to company figures, OVHcloud operates more than 500,000 servers across 46 data centres on four continents and has 1.6 million customers in more than 140 countries.

Senacor works primarily with large organisations in finance and insurance, and also serves automotive, transport, logistics, energy, and the public sector. The firm employs more than 1,000 people across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and has operated in Poland since 2023.

The ECB has not made a final decision on whether the digital euro will be issued, and the timeline also depends on legislation. Assuming EU co-legislators adopt a regulation establishing the digital euro during 2026, the Eurosystem would then be ready for a potential first issuance in 2029.

Project context

Digital euro planning has drawn attention because of its potential impact on the European payments market and the infrastructure that underpins it. A digital euro would sit alongside cash and existing private-sector payment methods, while remaining a claim on the central bank.

The ECB has said the work covers both technical design and policy choices. Any rollout would require coordination across national central banks in the euro area, as well as with regulated intermediaries that provide customer-facing payment services.

Public-sector cloud procurement has also become more contested. European institutions and national governments are assessing options that keep data processing within European jurisdictions, while reviewing controls on access, auditability, and operational resilience.

For OVHcloud, the ECB selection places the company within a high-profile programme likely to be scrutinised by regulators and market participants. OVHcloud said it will contribute infrastructure operated entirely within the EU.

Senacor said the supplier choice reflects the programme's requirements for infrastructure characteristics, pointing to sovereignty and fit with the project's needs.

"As the European Cloud leader, we are delighted to have been selected, through our partner Senacor, as a cloud provider in the establishment of the digital euro. As such we are contributing as a sovereign European provider with certified data centers in Europe. Together with Senacor, we can support the implementation of secure, compliant, and innovative cloud services for the ECB," said Sylvie Houliere Mayca, Head of France-Middle East-Africa-BeLux at OVHcloud.

Senacor linked the decision to the digital euro's wider importance for the region's financial market and the high bar set by the programme.

"The digital euro is a key strategic project for the European financial market. The requirements for a secure, scalable, and sovereign infrastructure are correspondingly high. With its European cloud expertise and clear focus on data and technological sovereignty, OVHcloud was a very good fit," said Dr. Ruben Debeerst, Partner Principal Consultant at Senacor Technologies.