European Network for Payments: Five Giants Unite for Seamless Cross-Border Interoperability

Five of Europe’s largest domestic payment providers have established the European Network for Payments (ENP) to enable cross-border interoperability. By connecting 130 million users across 13 countries, the joint entity aims to challenge the dominance of international card schemes through a sovereign, instant account-to-account framework for peer-to-peer, online, and in-store transactions.

What was announced

The founding partners—Bancomat, Bizum, EPI Company (Wero), SIBS (MB WAY), and Vipps MobilePay—have officially created the European Network for Payments (ENP). Headquartered in Madrid, this new joint entity is tasked with operating and scaling a common interoperability hub. This development follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the partners in February 2026 and represents a major step toward a sovereign European payments framework.

The ENP will connect existing national payment solutions through a shared technical and operational layer. This infrastructure is built on European standards, specifically focusing on instant account-to-account (A2A) payments. The founding members are equal shareholders in the entity, which will oversee technical coordination and the potential inclusion of other European payment solutions in the future, provided they meet the network's technical requirements and receive partner agreement.

The network currently covers more than 70% of the population in the European Union and Norway. The implementation is scheduled as a phased rollout, beginning with cross-border peer-to-peer (P2P) payments. Subsequent phases are planned to introduce interoperability for e-commerce and point-of-sale (POS) transactions. By linking these established domestic brands, the ENP aims to provide a seamless cross-border experience for 130 million users while allowing each local solution to maintain its existing brand identity and user trust.

"Europeans should be able to use the payment solutions they already trust when they travel, shop or do business across borders. Our vision for Wero is to make every payment fast and simple, whether people are sending money, shopping online or paying in a store. By connecting European payment solutions, we can bring this convenience across borders, give consumers more choice and help merchants serve customers from across Europe without any major investment. This is how we build a sovereign European alternative that works in everyday life."

Martina Weimert, CEO of EPI.

The companies involved

The European Network for Payments brings together the dominant forces of several national digital payment markets. Bizum is a leading Spanish payment service that has seen rapid adoption for both P2P and commercial transactions. Bancomat is Italy’s primary domestic card and payment scheme, playing a central role in the country’s banking infrastructure. SIBS, the Portuguese payment processor, operates the widely used MB WAY mobile payment solution. Vipps MobilePay represents a significant Nordic presence, having previously merged the leading mobile payment brands of Norway, Denmark, and Finland.

The European Payments Initiative (EPI) is the company behind Wero, a digital wallet designed to provide a unified European payment method. These organizations collectively manage a massive footprint in the European retail banking sector. Fabrizio Burlando serves as CEO of Bancomat, while João Mello Franco is the CEO of SIBS. The strategic direction of Vipps MobilePay is supported by Kim Fuglsang Kristoffersen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, and Bizum’s international efforts are led by Fernando Rodríguez, Deputy Managing Director of International Expansion.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed the rapid expansion of the participating entities, particularly Bizum’s growth in the Iberian market. We recently reported that Bizum Pay Hits 20 Million Users in Four Months as In-Store Payments Surge Across Spain, highlighting the solution's momentum. The technical integration of these services has also been a focus, as seen when Ecommpay Simplifies Spanish Market Entry with Direct Bizum Payment Integration and when Rubean Integrates Bizum into SoftPOS App to Dominate Spanish Real-Time Payments. Additionally, the broader industry move toward simplified cross-border retail was noted in our coverage of how Swift Launches Global Pay-by-Alias Initiative to Simplify Cross-Border Retail Payments.

What this means

The formation of the ENP is a direct challenge to the "duopoly" of international card schemes in Europe. By leveraging a combined user base of 130 million, the network achieves the immediate scale necessary to interest pan-European merchants who have previously found domestic A2A solutions too fragmented to support. This initiative moves the needle on European strategic autonomy, reducing reliance on non-European infrastructure for everyday transactions. However, the industry now faces the difficult task of technical harmonization across different national banking standards. The success of the ENP will depend on whether it can eliminate the friction of cross-border A2A payments without compromising the speed and simplicity that made these domestic tools popular in the first place.