The Eurosystem has invited payment service providers, technology firms, merchants and other organisations to take part in a new wave of digital-euro innovation activities. The call creates a time-limited opportunity to test ideas and explore potential uses; it does not mean that a digital euro has been issued, finally approved or given a launch date.
What the ECB announced
On 28 September 2026, the European Central Bank opened a call for expressions of interest in digital-euro innovation-platform activities. Participation is open to merchants, payment service providers, technical service providers, fintech companies, consumer associations, public institutions and research institutes.
The activities are voluntary and preparatory. They form part of work on the potential introduction of a digital euro; they are not legislation, a final scheme decision or a product launch. The ECB says a final decision on whether to issue a digital euro would be taken only after the relevant EU legislation has been adopted.
Applications are due by 17:00 CET on Monday 9 November 2026. The call has two workstreams: experimentation and exploration.
Experimentation: testing practical features
The experimentation workstream is expected to run from January to June 2027. Selected participants will develop and test solutions, then submit a proof of concept and an outcome report.
The ECB identifies four focus areas: electronic integrated receipts within digital-euro transactions and payment apps; multi-payer and multi-payee transactions; conditional payments designed to work consistently across providers; and user-facing payment-app features and value-added services.
The distinction between conditional payments and programmable money matters. The ECB describes conditional payments as transactions executed automatically when predefined conditions are met. It separately explains that programmable money restricts how money can be used and notes that the European Commission's proposed digital-euro Regulation says the digital euro would not be programmable money. The experimentation topic therefore does not show that an unrestricted programmable-money model has been agreed.
The ECB says its assessment will consider motivation, relevance and innovation potential, alignment with digital-euro design principles, expertise, expected contribution and, for experimentation, technical readiness. Joint applications spanning different ecosystem roles are encouraged.
Exploration: examining future technologies and uses
The exploration workstream will use workshops at the ECB during the first and second quarters of 2027. Its focus areas include possible uses of artificial intelligence in payments and possible public-sector uses such as transport, utilities, smart-city initiatives, financial inclusion, automation and resilience.
These are subjects for exploration, not confirmed final features. They should not be presented as regulatory requirements or commitments that any particular use will form part of an issued digital euro.
Who may want to assess the opportunity
The call may be directly relevant to firms with a defined use case, suitable expertise, a credible ecosystem role and the capacity to contribute during the stated timetable. That could include a PSP testing a payment-app feature, a merchant working with a PSP on an integrated flow, or a technology provider supporting interoperability.
For other firms, the value may be indirect. Monitoring the workstreams can help product and control teams understand the user journeys, interfaces, partnerships and safeguards being examined without committing resources to an application.
The broad invitation does not establish that every organisation is eligible, will be selected or would obtain a regulatory or commercial advantage. Firm-specific participation terms, eligibility, technical requirements, data handling and permissions need to be checked against the current application materials and, where appropriate, specialist advice.
A proportionate operating-model assessment
AnyAccount's practitioner view is that a participation decision should begin with the proposed user outcome and the firm's actual role, not with the technology label alone. A prospective applicant could assess:
- the customer or merchant problem and the firm's role in addressing it;
- how value, payment instructions and confirmations would move between participants;
- which activities the firm and its partners would perform, and any permissions or contractual questions;
- what data would be processed, by whom and for which purpose, with privacy by design and user control;
- the interfaces, standards and dependencies needed to work across providers;
- failure scenarios, recovery arrangements, third-party dependencies and evidence of outcomes; and
- whether the firm can resource the application, testing and reporting without displacing higher-priority obligations.
These are planning questions, not a prescribed ECB checklist. Their relevance depends on the proposed role and use case.
What the call does not change
The call does not create a compliance obligation, require firms to participate or establish a digital-euro launch date. It does not settle the legislation, issuance decision, final design or rollout timetable. Selection for an innovation activity would also not amount to regulatory approval of a participant's wider business or products.
The practical implication is narrower: interested organisations have a defined deadline and an official framework for proposing an experimentation or exploration contribution. Others have a new source of evidence to monitor as the potential operating model develops.
Status and limitations
The ECB published the call on 28 September 2026. Applications close at 17:00 CET on 9 November 2026; experimentation is expected from January to June 2027, and exploration workshops are planned for the first and second quarters of 2027. No final issuance decision or launch date has been set.
The legislation, final design, issuance decision and rollout timing remain uncertain. This article provides general regulatory and operational commentary, not legal advice. Current official documentation and specialist advice should be used for firm-specific participation, permissions, privacy or contractual decisions.