The European Central Bank has published a report on its digital euro innovation platform, summarising collaboration and experimentation with almost 70 market participants and outlining potential applications the digital euro ecosystem could enable. The ECB also decided to launch a second round of experimentation following further demand from participants. The platform, launched in October 2024, involved two workstreams: “pioneers” conducting technical experimentation and “visionaries” exploring innovative ideas and the longer-term potential of the digital euro, with both pointing to the importance of harmonised standards and market collaboration. In a simulated digital euro environment, participants tested conditional payments for online shopping, automated insurance reimbursements and streamlined refunds, as well as use cases for shared mobility and public transport such as tap-and-go transactions and automatic best-fare calculation; conditional payments were also explored for business-to-business payments, with findings pointing to reduced fragmentation and costs and increased standardisation and liquidity. The report also covers experimentation on integrating electronic receipts into the digital euro ecosystem and inclusion and accessibility features such as voice-controlled transactions, large-font displays, guided onboarding, tailored wallets for children, and easier access to student benefits and discounts. More details on the second round of experimentation are due in the first half of 2026, and the ECB reiterated its readiness to provide technical expertise throughout the legislative discussions and to engage with the European Parliament’s negotiating team.

Original source View in tracker