(1 October 2026 – Europe) Five of Europe’s biggest payments groups — Bancomat, Bizum, Wero, Sibs-MB WAY, and Vipps MobilePay — have established a joint entity to create a pan-European payments network capable of competing with Visa, Mastercard, and Big Tech.
The new Madrid-headquartered organisation, the European Network for Payments, will operate a common interoperability hub connecting existing national payment services through a shared technical and operational layer based on European standards, including instant account-to-account payments.
The venture brings together the European Payments Initiative (EPI) and the European Payments Alliance (EuroPA), which first announced plans to collaborate in 2025. Collectively, the founding members serve around 130 million users across 13 countries. Users will retain their existing apps but gain broader cross-border reach, while merchants will be able to accept payments from European consumers using European infrastructure.
The rollout will begin with cross-border peer-to-peer payments, with e-commerce and point-of-sale capabilities to follow. Founding partners hold equal shareholdings, and the entity remains open to additional members.
“The creation of this interoperability entity represents a significant step forward in building a sovereign and integrated European payments landscape,” said Fabrizio Burlando, CEO of Bancomat. “By connecting strong national solutions through a common framework, we are enabling seamless cross-border experiences while preserving the diversity, trust and proximity that each system has built in its own market.”