How many IT systems can you build in one career?

How many IT systems can you build in one career?

For most professionals, the number is just 5–7 from day one until retirement — or a bit more if you only contribute for a few years to each.

The reason is time. A large system takes years to specify, build and put into production. Then it runs long after the team has moved on. Few people get to start many of them.

I’ve been fortunate to work on even more, but my proudest milestone yet is being part of the team chosen by the European Central Bank to deliver not one, but two of the core systems for the Digital Euro.

§What the ECB announced

On 2 October 2025 the ECB announced framework agreements for five digital euro components. They are alias lookup, risk and fraud management, the app and software development kit (SDK), an offline solution, and the secure exchange of payment information. Each component has a first-ranked and a second-ranked provider.

The consortium of Sapient GmbH and Tremend Software Consulting appears twice. It is ranked first for alias lookup and second for the app and SDK.

Alias lookup lets someone pay using a simple alias, such as a phone number, instead of a long account number. The service then routes the payment to the right provider.

The announcement is precise about the terms. Framework agreements involve no payment at this stage. Requests go to the first-ranked provider, and the second-ranked one is approached only if required. Actual development will be decided later by the ECB’s Governing Council.

That decision came quickly. On 29 October 2025 the Governing Council moved the project to its next phase. A pilot could start in mid-2027. First issuance is targeted for 2029, assuming the regulation is adopted in 2026. The European Parliament adopted its negotiating mandate on 9 July 2026, by 416 votes to 169.

§Money for a continent

This isn’t just about technology. It’s about shaping the future of money in Europe for almost half a billion citizens.

This isn’t just about technology.

For scale, the digital euro would be issued in the euro area, which has about 358 million people. The EU as a whole has about 450 million.

The design shows why technology is only part of it. The ECB will use pseudonymous identifiers, so it cannot connect a transaction to a private individual. Offline payments work between two nearby devices, and the details stay on those devices. For alias lookup, that sets the bar. It must find the right recipient without building a map of who pays whom.

A big thank you to my colleagues at Publicis Sapient and Tremend Software Consulting for making this possible. 🙏