TITLE: European Central Bank and ONCE Foundation Launch Digital Euro Accessibility Collaboration
BODY:
On February 18, 2026, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the ONCE Foundation for Cooperation and Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities signed a collaboration agreement to ensure the digital euro app is accessible for all users, including people with disabilities, those with limited digital skills, and older adults.
The ECB will leverage the ONCE Foundation's expertise across three key areas: providing technical advice on accessibility requirements and features; collaborating on digital euro app design; and testing accessibility of digital euro app prototypes once available. The collaboration embeds accessibility as a core design principle rather than an optional feature, aligning with the European Accessibility Act and exceeding standard market practice through an "accessibility by design" approach.
The ONCE Foundation, a Spanish organisation promoting social inclusion of people with disabilities, will incorporate experts with lived experience of disabilities into the project team, combining technical knowledge with user perspective. Piero Cipollone, ECB Executive Board member and chair of the High-Level Task Force on a digital euro, emphasised that the collaboration ensures "the digital euro empowers every citizen in the digital age, leaving no one behind." Jesús Hernández Galán, Director of Accessibility and Innovation at the ONCE Foundation, highlighted the importance of integrating accessibility features from the project's inception.
The collaboration supports digital financial inclusion objectives identified by the Euro Retail Payments Board and the first digital euro innovation platform, which involved approximately 70 market participants. Focus groups with vulnerable consumers identified priorities including multiple onboarding options, in-person support at local branches, and user-friendly features such as voice-controlled transactions, large-font displays, and guided onboarding processes.
The non-remunerated collaboration aligns with European regulations on accessibility, fundamental rights, and digital transformation.