De Nederlandsche Bank outlines Payment Strategy 2026–2028 to strengthen resilience and expand digital payment options

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(IN BRIEF) De Nederlandsche Bank has published its Payment Strategy for 2026–2028, outlining plans to strengthen resilience, broaden payment options, and encourage innovation within the payment system. The strategy aims to reduce dependence on a small number of providers and technologies while promoting a diverse ecosystem of payment instruments. Key priorities include strengthening the resilience of payment infrastructure against cyber threats, supporting the development of European digital payment solutions, and ensuring continued access to cash alongside new technologies such as the digital euro. DNB also plans to support innovation using technologies such as artificial intelligence and Distributed Ledger Technology while exploring the possibility of settling transactions on DLT platforms using central bank money. The strategy further emphasizes improving consumer awareness of payment methods and strengthening efforts to combat increasingly sophisticated payment fraud. Through these initiatives, DNB aims to ensure that the payment system remains reliable, secure, and accessible in a rapidly evolving financial environment.

(PRESS RELEASE) OSLO, 9-Mar-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) has introduced its Payment Strategy for 2026–2028, outlining plans to expand payment options and strengthen the resilience of the payment system in the Netherlands and across Europe. The strategy aims to ensure that consumers, retailers, and payment service providers have access to a diverse and reliable range of payment methods while reducing dependence on a limited number of technologies or providers.

According to DNB, maintaining multiple payment options is essential for creating a robust and secure financial infrastructure. The central bank therefore intends to support innovation within the payments ecosystem while also pursuing its own initiatives, including the development of a digital euro and solutions based on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) that could enable the secure development of new forms of digital assets.

The updated strategy reflects a changing global environment since the previous 2022–2025 strategy period. Increased geopolitical tensions and the rapid emergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence and DLT have created new challenges and opportunities for payment systems. As a result, DNB has placed greater emphasis on strengthening resilience and technological readiness in the years ahead.

One of the key priorities of the strategy is reinforcing resilience and autonomy across the payment chain. DNB aims to reduce reliance on non-European players for critical components of payment infrastructure, including both consumer-facing payment instruments and the underlying transaction processing systems that support them.

To improve system resilience, DNB is working with financial institutions and other stakeholders to strengthen protection against cyber threats. Measures include ongoing monitoring, system testing, crisis simulation exercises, and the sharing of insights across the sector.

DNB also intends to ensure that European-origin digital payment instruments become widely available and usable across the euro area. In addition to promoting new digital solutions, the central bank emphasizes that cash will remain an important payment option. While euro banknotes and coins are currently the only form of public money available, DNB supports the introduction of a digital euro to provide an electronic version of public money that can be used both in physical stores and in online transactions.

Encouraging innovation in the payments ecosystem represents another major priority of the strategy. DNB plans to support market initiatives that expand the range of digital payment methods and technologies available to consumers and businesses. A broader selection of payment solutions can improve resilience by ensuring that alternatives are available if one system experiences disruptions.

The strategy also emphasizes the importance of improving payment awareness among consumers and retailers. By understanding the advantages and risks associated with different payment instruments, users can make informed decisions and better protect themselves against fraud.

Payment fraud remains a growing concern as criminals increasingly use advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to carry out sophisticated scams such as voice cloning and other deceptive techniques. DNB is therefore working closely with the financial sector to strengthen fraud prevention and detection efforts.

The central bank expects payment service providers to deploy artificial intelligence responsibly, ensuring transparency around its use and the ability to clearly explain how AI-driven systems operate. As new technologies such as AI-based payment agents emerge, market participants will also need to establish clear rules regarding responsibilities within payment transactions.

In addition to supporting innovation in private-sector payment solutions, DNB is adapting its own services for banks and payment service providers to keep pace with technological developments. One example is the exploration of ways to enable transaction settlement on DLT-based platforms using central bank money, commonly referred to as wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC). Such an approach could provide increased security and help prevent fragmentation in European capital markets.

DNB believes that the future financial ecosystem will benefit from multiple forms of the euro, both private and public. These could include stablecoins, tokenised bank deposits, and the digital euro, all operating within a framework that preserves the reliability and accessibility of the payment system.

Through the Payment Strategy 2026–2028, the central bank aims to ensure that payments remain secure, resilient, and widely accessible, thereby maintaining public trust in the financial system as it evolves.

Media Contact:

Email: info@dnb.nl.

SOURCE: DNB