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Current research2026 · Present (2015 – Oct 2026)

Civilization / Society, Economy & Law

Digital Euro

The European Parliament set its position on the digital euro in July 2026; trilogue talks follow, first issuance earliest 2029.

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The digital euro would complement cash online: legal tender issued by the ECB, usable online and offline, not based on blockchain. Motives are European independence from non-EU card networks and a response to stablecoins. Banks fear deposit outflows; others stress privacy.

As of October 2026

The ECB moved to the next project phase in October 2025, and the Council set its position on 19 December 2025. Parliament's economic committee approved its stance on 23 June 2026 (43 to 14, one abstention); the plenary adopted its position on 9 July 2026 by 416 to 169 with 22 abstentions, and the first trilogue followed on 13 July. Holding limits and compensation for payment providers remain open, and negotiators aim for agreement by end 2026. The ECB plans a pilot in 2027, invited merchants to join it in September 2026, and targets first issuance in 2029 if the law is adopted in 2026.

Open steps

  • Offline privacy-preserving euro Medium AI leverageDesign and test a digital euro that works offline while preserving privacy from ECB surveillance.
  • Private wallet interoperability Medium AI leverageStandardise interfaces so digital euros work through private wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) and commercial banks.
  • Cross-border instant settlement via CBDC Medium AI leverageLink digital euros with other CBDCs for instant cross-border retail payments without intermediaries.

Where AI could help

Low AI leverage. The timeline depends on trilogue agreement and adoption of the law; AI contributes mainly fraud scoring and testing.

  • Central AI fraud scoring on every peer-to-peer and merchant payment, as contracted
  • Synthetic-transaction load and security testing before the 2027 pilot
  • Simulating holding limits and deposit outflows to inform the political compromise

Shown so far

  • In October 2025 the ECB selected Feedzai to provide an AI model that scores every digital euro transaction for fraud risk, in a four-year framework agreement estimated at EUR 79.1 million. source

Prerequisites

Sources

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