ECB seeks participants to test AI agents for digital euro payments

The European Central Bank is seeking fintech companies, payment firms and other participants to explore the use of AI agents in digital euro payments, Cointelegraph reported. The experiment will run from January through June 2027, with participating organizations set to develop functions including electronic receipts, multilateral transactions and conditional payments. Workshops planned for the first half of 2027 will cover AI-based payments, micropayments and machine-to-machine interactions. Separately, the ECB is preparing a digital euro pilot project that will run for 12 months starting in the second half of 2027. For that effort, it has already selected 36 banks and payment companies, including Revolut, Stripe and Deutsche Bank. However, issuing a digital euro would still require EU legislation and a final decision by the ECB.