ع
The European Central Bank announced a collaboration agreement with the ONCE Foundation for Cooperation and Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities to ensure the digital euro app meets the highest accessibility standards. According to the ECB statement, the partnership will focus on technical advice, app design collaboration and prototype testing to make the application easy to use for people with disabilities, those with limited digital skills and older adults. The central bank emphasised that this work aligns with an accessibility by design approach that exceeds the requirements of the European Accessibility Act.
ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone said, “Accessibility and inclusion are not optional features, but core digital euro design principles.” In the February 2026 announcement, Cipollone noted that the initiative helps guarantee the digital euro empowers every citizen without leaving anyone behind. Jesús Hernández Galán, Director of Accessibility and Innovation at the ONCE Foundation, stated, “It is an honour to contribute to ensuring that the digital euro integrates accessibility features from the very beginning.”
The ECB release indicated that experts in accessibility and user experience who are persons with disabilities will be incorporated into the project team to blend technical knowledge with lived experience. This non-remunerated collaboration supports broader European regulations on accessibility, fundamental rights and digital transformation. The app is intended to be clear, understandable and easy to navigate, with the outcome potentially informing user experience standards for payment service providers.
According to the ECB, consumer organisations within the Euro Retail Payments Board have identified a universally accessible digital euro app as critical for ensuring inclusion. The central bank’s first digital euro innovation platform, which engaged around 70 market participants, highlighted features like voice-controlled transactions, large-font displays and guided onboarding as means to enhance accessibility. User research and focus groups with vulnerable consumers underscored the importance of multiple onboarding options, including in-person support, and payment experiences that feel familiar and reassuring.
The digital euro project, launched by the ECB in July 2021, seeks to provide a digital complement to cash that is safe, secure and available to all, even offline, ECB documentation shows. The central bank has committed to free basic use of the digital euro and to closing the digital exclusion gap for individuals without bank accounts or fixed addresses. An Ipsos user research report commissioned by the ECB informed the design with insights from civil society and consumer groups.
This latest step builds on ongoing public consultations that the ECB has conducted to incorporate user preferences into the digital euro’s development. The ONCE Foundation, a Spanish organisation focused on accessibility, employment and digital transformation for people with disabilities, brings specialised expertise to the effort, the statement said. The collaboration comes as the ECB advances the preparation phase of the digital euro ahead of potential pilots.
