Bancomat, SIBS-MB WAY, and EPI completed a joint proof of concept on April 16 demonstrating cross-border QR-code-based person-to-merchant payment interoperability. Users of Bancomat in Italy, Wero across Germany, France, and Belgium, and MB WAY in Portugal completed retail payments at merchants in each other's networks. La Banque Postale, Intesa Sanpaolo, and 28 MB WAY member financial institutions provided operational support. The result confirms the technical and operational feasibility of a common central interoperability model, according to EPI.
The proof of concept is the first concrete deliverable from the memorandum of understanding signed on February 2, 2026. The MoU binds five European payment platforms: Bancomat, Bizum, EPI, SIBS-MB WAY, and Vipps MobilePay. These networks collectively serve approximately 130 million users across 13 European countries. That footprint covers roughly 72 percent of the combined population of the EU and Norway. The interoperability model preserves existing national payment brands rather than requiring migration to a single pan-European application.
The alliance roadmap targets cross-border peer-to-peer payments across all participating networks in 2026. E-commerce and point-of-sale expansion, including NFC-based in-store interoperability, is planned for 2027. Bizum and Vipps MobilePay signed the February MoU but did not participate in this initial proof of concept. EPI CEO Martina Weimert stated that cross-border payments between local schemes will step by step become the norm across Europe.