Call for expressions of interest in a new wave of digital euro innovation platform activities

28 September 2026

As part of the preparations for the potential introduction of a digital euro, the Eurosystem is launching a call for expressions of interest inviting private companies and organisations to collaborate in exploring how the digital euro can foster innovation in the market. These activities build on the ideas developed through the digital euro innovation platform^[1], which was launched in 2024. Participation in this new wave is open to a broad range of stakeholders, including merchants, payment service providers (PSPs), technical service providers, fintech companies, consumer associations, public institutions and research institutes. The activities will be organised around two main workstreams:

• Experimentation: supporting the private sector in developing new practical features and additional services to improve the digital euro user experience for consumers and merchants.
• Exploration: exploring technological developments that could enhance the digital euro in future releases.

Participants will gain insight into the digital euro’s potential for innovation, contribute to shaping its infrastructure and have the opportunity to develop and test new solutions.

These activities aim to foster innovation and collaboration and help ensure a future digital euro meets the evolving needs of the market and will be conducted transparently, reflecting the Eurosystem’s commitment to a responsible and trusted introduction of a digital euro, should a decision to issue be taken in the future. The final decision on whether to issue a digital euro will only be taken once the relevant EU legislation has been adopted. The Eurosystem’s ongoing preparations for a digital euro will be implemented flexibly, ensuring alignment with the legislative process.

Experimentation workstream

The experimentation workstream aims to turn promising ideas identified during the innovation platform initiative into concrete solutions. Selected participants will develop innovative features and services that build on the digital euro’s core infrastructure and functionalities.

Focus areas

The following topics will be explored:

• Electronic integrated receipts: exploring how electronic receipts could be integrated into digital euro transactions and made available in payment apps, while respecting users’ privacy.
• Multi-payer and multi-payee transactions: examining payment scenarios in which multiple payers contribute to a single transaction or a single payment that is distributed to multiple recipients.
• Conditional payments^[2]: assessing ways to further facilitate conditional payments that support market innovation while ensuring that solutions follow common approaches and work seamlessly across providers.^[3]
• App features: developing innovative user-facing functionalities and value-added services that PSPs could offer through their payment apps to enhance the digital euro user experience.

Roadmap

Experimentation activities are expected to run from January 2027 to June 2027. Participants will be invited to develop and test solutions and to submit a proof of concept and an outcome report. The ECB may invite selected participants to an event to present the outcome of their work and publish the key findings of this workstream.

Exploration workstream

The exploration workstream focuses on identifying future innovations and technological developments to improve the digital euro’s infrastructure. These activities will bring together participants from various industries to exchange innovative ideas and explore potential use cases for consumers, merchants, market participants and the public sector.

Focus areas

The following topics will be explored:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) in payments: exploring potential applications of AI in the context of the digital euro, including AI-enabled payment experiences, AI agents and interactions among them, micropayments and innovative user-facing functionalities within payment apps. Participants will also explore how proposed solutions align with privacy by design, user control and data protection principles.^[4]
• Public uses of a digital euro: examining how a digital euro could support payments in public services, such as transportation and mobility services, utility bills, smart city initiatives, financial inclusion, public sector automation and resilience scenarios, while improving accessibility, efficiency and the overall user experience.

Roadmap

Exploration activities will take place via workshops on-site at the European Central Bank premises^[5] in the first and second quarters of 2027. The ECB may invite selected participants to an event to present the outcome of their work and publish the key findings of this workstream.

How to apply and selection criteria

1. Complete the application form, indicating the relevant workstream(s), focus area(s), motivation, expertise and proposed use case for each focus area.
2. Submit your application^[6] to DigitalEuroExperimentation@ecb.europa.eu by 17:00 CET on Monday, 9 November 2026.
3. Joint applications, especially those covering different roles within a digital euro ecosystem (e.g., a merchant and a PSP or technical service provider), are encouraged. For joint applications, please submit one form only.

Applications will be assessed by the ECB based on eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria covering motivation, relevance and innovation potential, alignment with digital euro design principles^[7], expertise and expected contribution to the workstream and, for experimentation work, technical readiness. Geographic and industry diversity will also be considered to ensure a balanced group of participants.

For more information on the digital euro project, see the dedicated page in the ECB’s website. For any questions on the application process, please contact DigitalEuroExperimentation@ecb.europa.eu. The ECB will provide selected participants with further details and support as the activities progress.