DEAN (Digital Euro Account Number)
Published on
30/09/2026
Updated on
30/09/2026
Reading time
3 min
As of 29 September 2026
Definition
The DEAN (digital euro account number) is the unique account number of a digital euro payment account. It identifies the account and makes its holder reachable for incoming payments. Contrary to what is sometimes suggested, it is not a second account number for everyday payments: the IBAN remains responsible for credit transfers and direct debits, while the DEAN applies solely to accounts in the digital Euro.
Everything in this entry is taken from the draft Digital Euro Scheme Rulebook. The draft has not been adopted, and its structure and rules may still change; the ECB publishes the current version on its rulebook page.
Structure compared with the IBAN
The DEAN is deliberately built differently from the IBAN. Both carry check digits produced by the same method, but the DEAN dispenses with any reference to country and institution (which is precisely what makes it portable).
| Feature | DEAN | IBAN |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 18 characters, alphanumeric | up to 34 characters, depending on country (Germany 22) |
| Characters 1–2 | EU – the same for everyone | country code to ISO 3166 (DE, FR, IT …) |
| Characters 3–4 | check digits to ISO/IEC 7064, MOD 97-10 | check digits to ISO/IEC 7064, MOD 97-10 |
| Character 5 | indicator digit: 0 for individuals, 1 for businesses | – |
| Characters 6–18 | 13-digit serial number | – |
| Basic part | characters 5–18 form the BEAN (Basic European Account Number) | characters 5 to the end form the BBAN with bank code and account number |
| Country reference | none | carried in the country code |
| Institution reference | none | carried in the bank code |
| Assignment | generated by the DESP, assigned by the payment service provider | issued by the account-servicing institution |
| On switching institution | stays the same | changes |
| Applies to | digital euro payment accounts | accounts in SEPA payments |
Assignment and portability
The DESP generates the DEAN at the request of a payment service provider, either individually when an account is opened or in bulk ahead of time. The payment service provider then assigns it to the user. Because the number designates neither a country nor an institution, it survives a change of payment service provider; the customer remains reachable under the same number afterwards. An individual holds at most one digital euro payment account and therefore one DEAN, while businesses may hold several. Where a physical card is issued, the rulebook requires the DEAN to be printed on it.
Alias and alias lookup
An 18-character number is not something anyone wants to dictate. For that, the rulebook provides the alias: a short value that the user registers voluntarily and through which their DEAN is found. Exactly one value is permitted per alias type, and each alias points to exactly one DEAN.
So far the draft allows the mobile phone number alone. The underlying data field, however, is bound to the general ISO code list for proxy types, which also covers e-mail addresses, among others. A later extension to further alias types – for businesses, a fixed company identifier such as the LEI suggests itself – is therefore to be expected, but has not been decided.
The DESP alias lookup service resolves both ways: for an alias it returns the DEAN and the ID of the account-servicing payment service provider, and for a DEAN alone that provider’s ID. Only then does the payer’s side know where the payment is going.