AI sandbox opens in January
The Central Bank of Ireland said on 2 November that its third Innovation Sandbox Programme will focus on ‘Advancing AI for Consumer Good’, with applications due to open in January 2027. Selected participants will receive structured regulatory advice and specialist support. Governor Gabriel Makhlouf said most firms supervised by the central bank already use forms of AI and stressed that human accountability remains necessary as generative and agentic systems spread.
Tokenisation engagement also expands
Alongside the AI programme, the central bank published feedback on its distributed-ledger and tokenisation discussion paper. It plans a tokenised access point through its Innovation Hub and a new model for sharing innovation insights, with tokenisation a near-term focus. The authority also pointed to work through Eurosystem initiatives such as Pontes and Appia. These are supervisory and engagement measures, not approvals for specific products or a promise that proposed services will reach market.
What it means for merchants
Banks, payment firms and fintech suppliers considering Irish pilots should prepare a concrete consumer outcome, governance map and evidence of human oversight before the sandbox opens. Merchants may benefit indirectly from safer AI and tokenised services, but should not treat participation in an innovation programme as regulatory endorsement.
Read the original announcement
Central Bank of Ireland · 2 Nov 2026This brief summarizes the linked primary source. Claims and reported figures have not been independently audited by Payment Guide.