On 2nd October payabl. became a licensed member of the European Payments initiative (EPI) and a direct acquirer participant. The move will give merchants access to instant, secure account-to-account (A2A) payments, while reducing costs and friction at checkout. It also provides a welcome boost to the EPI’s beleagured project to create a pan-European single digital wallet system.
Built on SEPA Instant Clearing, the EPI’s Wero wallet enablestransactions in under ten seconds, offering merchants a secure, low-cost alternative to cards. The EPI’s new partnership with payabl. Will expand Wero access for merchants and payment service providers.
For some time, questions have been asked about the viability of the EPI’s model for a pan-European digital wallet, given the strength of domestic schemes and rising competition from Asian SuperApps such as WeChat, Kaspi and AliPay – not to mention expanding domestic schemes such as India’s UPI, which is increasingly partnering across borders.
With A2A payments projected to grow from 60 billion transactions in 2024 to 186 billion by 2029, the shift away from traditional card rails is accelerating. As such, payabl.joins a global trend responding to consumer demands for speed, security, and choice in e-commerce. Similar models already thrive globally: Brazil’s Pix now serves more than 150 million users, while India’s UPI processes billions of transactions monthly. Wero’s collaboration with payabl. gives Europe the chance to establish its own scalable alternative, empowering merchants inside and outside the EU to serve European shoppers with their preferred local methods.
EPI’s CEO, Martina Weimert, welcomed the move: “We are delighted to welcome payabl. as one of the very first licensed members of EPI and a direct participant in Wero. Their integration underlines the strong momentum behind Wero as Europe’s trusted digital wallet. By joining at this early stage, payabl. is helping us accelerate access to instant, secure account-to-account payments across borders – making everyday commerce more convenient for consumers and more cost-efficient for merchants.”
The integration strengthens payabl.’s position as a leader in offering local European payment methods, helping merchants meet consumer demands for speed, security, convenience and choice for a European sovereign payment method. This is a great move for payabl. – and one which provides a much-needed boost for Wero.
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