# ECB Opens Digital Euro Program To Test AI-Agent Payments

By Simon Yoon

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/25316
Published: 2026-09-29T12:23:28.000Z
Updated: 2026-09-29T12:23:28.000Z
Section: Technology

> The initiative will examine automated transactions, micropayments and electronic receipts ahead of a separate 12-month pilot planned for the second half of 2027.

The European Central Bank is opening its digital euro innovation program to experiments with AI-enabled payments and machine-to-machine transactions, expanding work on a proposed digital currency for euro-area retail payments.

Applications opened Monday for fintech companies, payment firms and other organizations. The program will examine how automated software could interact with payment systems and how digital euro features might work in practice.

The initiative has two parts. An experimentation phase running from January through June 2027 will support prototypes for electronic receipts, multiparty transactions, conditional payments and new user-facing features.

Workshops planned for the first half of 2027 will focus on AI-enabled payments, micropayments, machine-to-machine interactions and potential public-service applications. Some participants will present their projects at the ECB’s headquarters in Frankfurt.

The results may help shape future digital euro features and use cases. The program is part of the ECB’s preparation for a possible central bank digital currency designed to function as digital cash alongside banknotes and coins.

The innovation program is separate from a 12-month digital euro pilot scheduled to start in the second half of 2027. The ECB has selected 36 banks and payment firms for that pilot, including Revolut, Stripe and Deutsche Bank.

The digital euro has not been issued. Any launch would require European Union legislation followed by a decision from the ECB.