On commission from the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), CTSi researched the extent of digital financial exclusion in the context of the digital euro.
How can the digital euro be designed so that everyone can participate in digital payments?
With this in focus, the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) commissioned the Center for Technology-driven Social Innovation (CTSi) to develop a methodological basis for analyzing digital financial exclusion. The aim was to identify the conditions under which an inclusive digital payment system can be designed. The cooperation between the OeNB and the CTSi was established on the basis of the CTS project Innovation lab for digital inclusion (IDI) .
As part of the project, an interdisciplinary workshop led by the CTSi was held at the OeNB on September 5, 2025. Representatives from academia, government, finance, and civil society discussed different perspectives on digital participation and inclusion.
The workshop, a supplementary survey, and an in-depth literature analysis formed the basis for the final report, “Degrees of digital financial exclusion,” which outlines methodological approaches and perspectives for action for a planned quantitative follow-up study.
The CTSi would like to thank the OeNB and all participating partner organizations for their constructive cooperation and professional exchange. From the CTSi’s perspective, this cooperation is a contribution to the socio-technically sustainable design of the digital euro.