European Mobile Payment Systems Association Boosts Mobile Payments Ecosystem

The European Mobile Payment Systems Association is making a significant impact on the mobile payments ecosystem. It's a trade association that represents the interests of mobile payment service providers, banks, and other industry stakeholders.

The association aims to promote the growth and development of mobile payments in Europe. By doing so, it's helping to create a more secure, convenient, and efficient payment experience for consumers.

The association has been instrumental in shaping the regulatory environment for mobile payments in Europe. It's worked closely with policymakers to ensure that the rules and regulations governing mobile payments are favorable to innovation and growth.

One key area of focus for the association is the development of standards for mobile payments. By establishing common standards, the association is helping to ensure that mobile payments are interoperable across different devices and systems.

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The European Mobile Payment Systems Association (EMPSA) is making waves in the mobile payment industry with its new partnerships and initiatives.

EMPSA has formed a new association with seven mobile payments service providers, including Twint, Bancontact Payconiq, and Vipps, to deliver interoperability of mobile payment systems across national borders.

These seven companies have a combined user base of 25 million people in nine European countries, with over one million acceptance points and support from 350 banks.

The association intends to make it possible for users to use all of the individual systems in each of the member countries in the medium term.

EMPSA has already set up a working group to review the technical issues surrounding interoperability, co-chaired by Bjørn Skjelbred from Vipps and Christian Pirkner of Bluecode.

The focus in the first year will be on delivering pilot cases on users paying across EMPSA countries.

The rapid growth in mobile payments will lead to an increasing user demand of being able to pay everywhere in Europe with their mobile payment solution, leaving cards and physical wallets behind.

Bluecode and Bancomat, both members of EMPSA, have enabled users of their payment systems to pay seamlessly within each other’s acceptance network through a technical, commercial, and legal standard defined by EMPSA.

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This is made possible by the EMPSA standard, which creates the prerequisites for cross-border interoperability of various payment systems.

The cooperation between Bluecode and Bancomat has already been tested during the 2024 UEFA European Championship, where selected users could make payments with their familiar solution in the fan zones of the tournament.

The partnership between Bluecode and Bancomat is an important step towards developing a comprehensive European standard, according to Fabrizio Burlando, CEO of Bancomat.

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The European Mobile Payment Systems Association (EMPSA) is expanding its reach by enabling users to make payments across national borders. This is made possible by the association's focus on interoperability, which allows users to use their familiar mobile payment systems in other countries.

Seven mobile payments service providers, including Twint, Bancontact Payconiq, and Vipps, have formed EMPSA to deliver interoperability of mobile payment systems across national borders. These providers have a combined user base of 25 million people in nine European countries.

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In the medium term, EMPSA aims to make it possible for users to use all individual systems in each member country, allowing for seamless payments across borders. This will revolutionize the way people make payments while traveling or shopping online.

Bluecode and Bancomat, two members of EMPSA, have already launched "Payment Roaming" in Germany, Austria, and Italy, enabling users to pay seamlessly within each other's acceptance network. This is a significant step towards a pan-European acceptance network.

The concept of Payment Roaming is similar to mobile phone roaming, where users can pay in other networks just as they do in their own. This smooth transition is made possible by EMPSA's technical, commercial, and legal standard, which creates the prerequisites for cross-border interoperability.

Eleven European solutions have joined forces in EMPSA, creating the necessary prerequisites for a European acceptance network. With the partnership between Bluecode and Bancomat, mobile payment methods are now interoperable for the first time, and further expansion with other EMPSA members is being implemented.

The rapid growth in mobile payments will lead to an increasing user demand for being able to pay everywhere in Europe with their mobile payment solution, leaving cards and physical wallets behind. EMPSA can be vital in achieving interoperability within a short timeframe.

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