Madrid, 30 September, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Leading European payment systems have created the European Network for Payments (ENP), a jointly owned company designed to connect domestic payment services across borders and strengthen Europe’s control over its digital payments infrastructure.
The founding members are Italy’s Bancomat, Spain’s Bizum, EPI Company/Wero, Portugal’s SIBS-MB WAY and Nordic provider Vipps MobilePay. Together, they serve around 130 million users in 13 European countries, representing more than 70% of the combined population of the EU and Norway.
ENP establishes payment hub in Madrid
ENP will be headquartered in Madrid and operate a common interoperability hub connecting the participating payment networks.
The five founding partners will hold equal stakes in the new company and work jointly on its technical development, additional payment functions and the possible admission of other European payment schemes.
Rather than replacing services such as Bizum, Bancomat or Wero, ENP will connect them through a shared technical and operational layer using European standards and instant account-to-account payments. Customers will continue using their existing payment services and brands.
Bancomat backs scalable European payment model
Fabrizio Burlando, chief executive of Bancomat, said the initiative represented a clear strategic priority for the company.
Burlando said Bancomat wanted to contribute to developing “a scalable European model” capable of combining “innovation, interoperability and resilience”. He said the initiative could also reinforce the role of European banks and infrastructure in the future of digital payments.
Fernando RodrĂguez, Bizum’s deputy general manager for international expansion, described the establishment of ENP as evidence that European banks could cooperate on payment infrastructure.
“The creation of European Network for Payments demonstrates the ability of the European banking sector to join forces and build a sovereign, efficient and innovative payment system,” RodrĂguez said.
European payment systems expand cross-border reach
The new company follows a memorandum of understanding signed by the five groups in February 2026. That agreement established their ambition to create seamless cross-border payments while keeping their individual brands, features and customer experiences.
Some interoperability is already being introduced. Bizum, Bancomat and MB WAY have been rolling out instant transfers between users in Spain, Andorra, Italy and Portugal, allowing customers to send money using mobile phone numbers.
The wider initiative comes as European policymakers seek greater payment sovereignty. Visa and Mastercard currently handle almost two-thirds of card payments in the EU, according to Reuters.
ENP will expand payments in stages
The first stage of the ENP rollout will focus on cross-border person-to-person transactions. E-commerce and point-of-sale payments are planned as subsequent phases, while additional European payment schemes could join the network.
The development gives European payment systems a common infrastructure without requiring consumers to abandon established national services. It also runs alongside the European Central Bank’s separate work on a digital euro, which forms part of the broader effort to strengthen Europe’s payment infrastructure.
