European payment interoperability

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First joint European payment interoperability technical trial (PoC) between BANCOMAT, EPI, and SIBS-MB WAY successfully completed

‍Brussels, Lisbon, Rome – April 17, 2026 BANCOMAT, SIBS-MB WAY, and EPI Company (European Payments Initiative) today announced the successful completion of a joint technical trial (Proof of Concept - PoC) that demonstrated the interoperability of their respective mobile payment solutions for cross-border in-store transactions.

This is a concrete result of the collaboration initiated with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February 2026 by BANCOMAT, Bizum, EPI, SIBS-MB WAY, and Vipps MobilePay, with the goal of accelerating the development of sovereign, interoperable, pan-European payment solutions.

The trial validated the ability for users of each mobile payment application involved to make seamless retail payments abroad via QR code-based peer-to-merchant (P2M) payments. Users of BANCOMAT, EPI, and MB WAY were able to successfully pay at merchants belonging to the other networks, confirming the feasibility of a common central interoperability model capable of making different national solutions work in a cross-border environment.

The trial was carried out with the operational support of major financial institutions, including La Banque Postale, Intesa Sanpaolo, and the 28 banks participating in MB WAY, and will serve as a reference for extending the model to the entire network of payment service providers (PSPs). The project highlights the fundamental role of the ecosystem in making true pan-European interoperability possible.

By demonstrating the technical and operational feasibility of cross-border QR code payments, the PoC lays a solid foundation for broader collaboration among the partners under the MoU. The project confirms that pan-European interoperability can be built upon existing national and pan-European solutions for the benefit of consumers and merchants, making digital payments simpler, more secure, and more widely accepted across Europe.

This milestone strengthens the shared ambition of the signatories to accelerate the deployment of sovereign, pan-European payment solutions based on cooperation and innovation. The roadmap includes extending to cross-border P2P payments in 2026 and to e-commerce and point-of-sale payments in 2027, including full enablement of NFC payments at points of sale.

"This result shows that Europe can achieve true interoperability by leveraging its own excellence. With this Proof of Concept, together with our partners, we are taking a decisive step toward simpler, more secure, and authentically pan-European digital payments. A path that strengthens BANCOMAT's role as an infrastructure serving Italy and Europe," said Fabrizio Burlando, CEO of BANCOMAT.

"Less than a year after announcing our collaboration, European citizens will be able to pay from one solution to another and from one country to another using their local instrument in a secure and seamless way. At EPI, we are pleased to see that the sovereign future of payments in Europe that we envisioned is already taking shape. Cross-border payments via local circuits will progressively become the norm, both between individuals and in commercial payments," commented Martina Weimert, CEO of EPI.

"This Proof of Concept represents a fundamental milestone for European payments. We firmly believe that innovation means putting consumers and merchants at the center, offering secure and seamless pan-European digital payment experiences. By leveraging the trust that millions of Europeans already place in their national solutions and by utilizing the SIBS infrastructure, we are building the foundations of a truly interoperable, independent, and resilient European ecosystem," said Teresa Mesquita, member of the Board of Directors and COO of SIBS.