ECB Puts AI Agent Payments on Digital Euro Drawing Board

The European Central Bank (ECB) is exploring the use of AI agents in digital euro payments as part of its innovation platform. The ECB has opened applications for a new round of its digital euro innovation program, which will run from January through June 2027.

The experimentation track will allow selected participants to develop prototypes for e-receipts, multiparty transactions, conditional payments, and new front-end features. Workshops in the first half of 2027 will cover AI-enabled payments, micropayments, machine-to-machine interactions, and uses of the digital euro in public services.

The ECB has already selected 36 banks and payment firms, including Revolut, Stripe, and Deutsche Bank, for a separate 12-month pilot beginning in the second half of 2027. Any issuance would still require EU legislation and a subsequent ECB decision.