Digital euro accessibility: ECB partners with ONCE Foundation
The European Central Bank (ECB) and the ONCE Foundation have signed a collaboration agreement to ensure the digital euro app is easily accessible for everyone. This includes people with disabilities, those with limited digital skills, and older adults.
Accessibility by design
The European Central Bank (ECB) will leverage the ONCE Foundation's expertise to embed accessibility into the digital euro app from its earliest stages.
This collaboration encompasses technical advice on accessibility requirements, joint design efforts, and testing of app prototypes once available.
ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone emphasized that "Accessibility and inclusion are not optional features, but core digital euro design principles.
" He added that the partnership aims to ensure the digital euro empowers every citizen in the digital age, leaving no one behind.
This commitment extends beyond minimum legal requirements, adopting an "accessibility by design" approach for clarity, understanding, and ease of navigation.
Inclusion for a digital age
Digital financial inclusion is a core technical design principle for the digital euro.
Consumer organisations have consistently highlighted the need for a universally accessible app from the Eurosystem.
The first digital euro innovation platform found that user-friendly features such as voice-controlled transactions, large-font displays, and guided onboarding could significantly improve inclusion.
Jesús Hernández Galán of the ONCE Foundation stated, "It is an honour to contribute to ensuring that the digital euro integrates accessibility features from the very beginning.
" Focus groups with vulnerable consumers also emphasized the value of multiple onboarding options, including in-person support, and payment flows that resemble familiar experiences, prioritizing simplicity and control.
Proactive, yet essential
This collaboration is a proactive and necessary step to ensure the digital euro truly serves all citizens.
It highlights the inherent complexities of designing inclusive digital financial tools from scratch.
While commendable, such partnerships underscore that universal accessibility is not an automatic outcome, but requires dedicated, early-stage intervention.