EuroPA and EPI Collaborate to Strengthen European Sovereignty in Cross-Border Payments: A Pan-European Payments Revolution
The EuroPA alliance and EPI Company have announced a collaboration to explore solutions that will enhance Europe's sovereignty in payments, particularly focusing on cross-border transactions. This initiative aims to enable seamless payments for European citizens, supporting both consumers and merchants across the continent.
The EuroPA alliance comprises Bancomat, Bizum, MB WAY (SIBS), and Vipps MobilePay. According to a press release from EPI, the collaboration between these entities is driven by a shared interest in exploring a joint solution that leverages the strong adoption and existing capabilities of each participant through enhanced interconnectivity.
The partnership seeks to cover all payment types, including person-to-person and commercial transactions, both online and in-store, across participating markets. A study to assess the collaboration's potential is underway and is expected to conclude by the end of summer 2025.
The agreement will initially span 15 European countries, allowing users to use their preferred digital payment solutions locally and across Europe. For markets lacking such systems, provisions have been made to ensure seamless transactions. Interconnecting existing payment solutions is viewed as a quick way to achieve European sovereignty in payments, a goal shared by the European Commission and Eurosystem.
EuroPA, the European Payments Alliance, unites major mobile payment providers in their respective markets. It focuses on creating a strong pan-European payments market through interoperability, using SEPA instant payment standards. Since March 2025, Bancomat, Bizum, and MB WAY/SIBS have enabled over 50 million users in Andorra, Italy, Portugal, and Spain—backed by 186 financial institutions—to transfer money instantly.
New members Blik (Poland), IRIS (Greece), and Vipps MobilePay (Nordic countries) have joined the alliance, with integration planned, expanding EuroPA to over 100 million users in 10 countries. EPI, the European Payments Initiative, is supported by 16 European banks and payment providers and aims to offer Wero, a unified mobile payment service, for retail transactions via a European digital wallet.
In conclusion, the collaboration between EuroPA and EPI is a significant step towards enhancing European sovereignty in payments. With the focus on cross-border transactions and the inclusion of various payment solutions across participating markets, this initiative has the potential to revolutionize the way Europeans make and receive payments.
