Approximately 70% of euro area firms use AI in some form as of 2026, but only 7% describe their usage as significant or intensive. Planned AI investment is expected to represent 9 to 10% of total firm investment for 2026, with 49% allocated to technologies and tools and 46% to employee training. About 72% of firms planning AI investments intend to fund them from internal resources, while the most AI-active firms saw their debt securities issuance rise by 13% in January 2026, reducing their reliance on traditional bank loans. AI uptake is highest in the Netherlands, Finland and Austria, and lower in Italy and Ireland. This shift toward market-based financing could weaken the ECB’s monetary policy transmission, as firms become less sensitive to interest rate changes.
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