The European Central Bank (ECB) is asking fintech and payment firms to help test new features for the digital euro. One area it wants to explore is payments made by artificial intelligence (AI) agents.
Applications for the latest round of the ECB's digital euro innovation platform opened on September 28, 2026. The work is set to begin in January 2027 and run for six months.
A month earlier, the ECB said it wanted the digital euro to be "fit for the future." The new call is one way the central bank is testing what that could mean.
How the Digital Euro Innovation Platform Will Work
The program is split into two parts. The ECB is inviting fintech companies and payment firms to apply.
The first part runs from January to June 2027. Participants will build prototypes of features the digital euro could offer in the future.
These features include digital receipts and payments that involve many people. They also include conditional payments, which only go through when certain conditions are met.
Some participants will also work on the user experience. This covers how the digital euro looks and feels for the people using it.
The second part focuses on longer-term ideas. It will take place through workshops held in the first half of 2027.
The workshops are where AI comes in. Participants will discuss AI-driven payments, micropayments, and machines paying each other without a human involved.
For example, a person could tell an AI assistant to pay an electricity bill, and the assistant would complete the payment on its own. The ECB wants to learn whether the digital euro could support this kind of transaction.
Participants may also show how the digital euro could be used for public services. Some will be chosen to present their work at the ECB's headquarters in Frankfurt.
The ECB said the results of the program will be used to improve the digital euro over time.
Binance MiCA Reports and the Digital Euro Timeline
The innovation call comes as reports suggest the ECB is also watching the wider crypto market closely.
AMBCrypto previously reported that ECB President Christine Lagarde stepped in to stop Binance from getting a license under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) rules.
According to the report, the concern was that crypto exchanges are steering users toward stablecoins backed by the U.S. dollar. Officials reportedly worried this could weaken the digital euro before it launches.
Binance's MiCA application has reportedly stalled.
The digital euro is expected to enter a pilot phase in mid-2027. A full rollout is planned for 2029.
