The European Central Bank (ECB) has selected UK-based deep tech firm Fluency to spearhead testing efforts around offline and programmable payments as part of its ongoing digital euro project. This collaboration positions Fluency at the forefront of critical experimentation in two essential capabilities for the future of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs): conditional payments and offline transaction functionality.
Fluency will trial conditional payments — a breakthrough innovation allowing digital euros to be programmed to execute only when specific, pre-set criteria are met. This opens up a range of automation possibilities for digital commerce, enabling advanced financial workflows that enhance efficiency and control.
In parallel, Fluency will contribute its proprietary software-based offline payments solution, enabling secure transactions in digital euros without the need for internet connectivity or specialised hardware. This innovation is seen as a vital step toward financial inclusivity and resilience, particularly in regions with limited connectivity or during system outages.
The partnership is part of the ECB’s broader innovation platform launched in March, which engages nearly 70 private sector entities to explore use cases for a potential digital euro. This follows the ECB’s earlier call for proposals around conditional and offline payments as it moves into the advanced stages of CBDC exploration.
Fluency’s involvement highlights its growing influence in the space. Its Aureum platform — a programmable money infrastructure — supports atomic settlement, conditional transfers, and real-time interoperability across CBDCs, real-time gross settlement (RTGS) systems, stablecoins, and tokenised assets.
Commenting on the appointment, Fluency CEO Inga Mullins said: “We’re proud to support the ECB in shaping a digital euro that is programmable, inclusive, and sovereign by design. Fluency’s architecture is built to connect digital money with real-world usability — whether through offline execution or intelligent conditional logic.”
The ECB collaboration builds on Fluency’s recent momentum, including its selection to the AI Consortium led by the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority, further cementing its reputation as a leading innovator in digital finance infrastructure.