ECB tests AI agent payments in digital euro trials

The European Central Bank opened applications on Monday for a digital euro innovation programme that invites fintechs, payment firms and other organisations to test AI agent‑powered payments and to build prototypes in early 2027.

The programme has two streams. A hands‑on experimentation track will run from January through June 2027. Selected teams in that track will develop and test prototypes for features such as electronic receipts, multiparty transactions, conditional payments and new front‑end interfaces. A sequence of workshops in the first half of 2027 will explore AI‑enabled payments, micropayments, machine‑to‑machine interactions and potential uses of the digital euro in public services.

Applications are open to a broad range of firms working in payments and financial technology. A subset of participants from both streams will be invited to present findings at the ECB’s Frankfurt headquarters. According to the ECB, outcomes from the experiments and workshops are intended to inform potential enhancements and practical use cases for a digital euro.

The call defines “AI agents” as software tools that can automate payment tasks and interact with users or other systems to execute or coordinate transactions. The ECB plans to study how such agents might initiate payments on behalf of consumers or coordinate payments across multiple parties and devices and interfaces.

The digital euro under development is a proposed central bank digital currency for retail payments in the euro area that would operate as a form of digital cash alongside banknotes and coins. Technical and operational work is ongoing; any decision to issue a digital euro would require EU legislation followed by a formal decision by the ECB.

Separately, the ECB has already selected 36 banks and payment firms for a different pilot phase that will run for 12 months starting in the second half of 2027. That group includes Revolut, Stripe and Deutsche Bank. The pilot and the innovation programme are both part of the ECB’s testing of technical solutions and user scenarios ahead of any policy decisions on issuance.