Bancomat, EPI, SIBS Enable Seamless Cross‑Border Payments
Hey Payments Fanatic!
Bancomat, SIBS-MB WAY, and EPI Company announced yesterday the successful completion of a joint Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrating interoperability of their respective mobile payment solutions for cross‑border in‑store transactions.
This delivers real progress on the February 2026 MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) between Bancomat, Bizum, EPI, SIBS-MB Way, and Vipps MobilePay, fast-tracking sovereign, interoperable pan-European payments.
EPI Company’s CEO, Martina Weimert, explained what this means for European citizens. “Europeans will be enabled to pay from one solution to another, from one country to another, with their local solution in a secure and seamless way, less than one year since we announced our intention to collaborate with other European solutions.”
National schemes didn't wait for the regulator. Bancomat, EPI, and MB Way just proved the interoperability layer works, in production, across borders, without a card network in the middle. When PSD3 sets the floor in 2027/28, they won't be starting from scratch.
The interesting question now isn't whether the rails work, it's whether consumers will follow before Big Tech wallets make the choice for them.
Track the latest news across the payments landscape below. 👇
Cheers,
INSIGHTS
📊 Stablecoin cards are quietly becoming one of the most interesting layers in payments 👇
They let users spend USDC, USDT, and other stablecoins, but settle seamlessly through Visa and Mastercard.
NEWS
🇦🇺 Airwallex is about to take on Stripe and the rest of the payments industry in the physical world. Airwallex is expanding into in-person payments with a new point-of-sale product. The offering allows businesses to accept payments across multiple countries through a single platform, leveraging Airwallex’s global payment infrastructure and licenses to simplify international expansion and reduce reliance on local providers.
🇦🇺 Hello Clever partners with Checkout.com to power global expansion of AI-driven payments and rewards platform. The partnership will see Checkout.com provide payment processing, authentication, and fraud detection capabilities to support Hello Clever’s rapidly growing global footprint.
🌍 Bancomat, EPI, and SIBS-MB Way successfully demonstrate cross-border interoperability for retail payment. This marks a concrete achievement in cooperation under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which aims to accelerate the deployment of sovereign and interoperable pan‑European payment solutions.
🇬🇧 CAB Payments agrees £287m US takeover deal. The offer is subject to satisfactory completion of due diligence, as well as irrevocable undertakings to support the transaction from each CAB Payments director, the members of the Helios Consortium who own or control company shares and Eurocomm Holding Limited.
🇺🇸 Venmo has expanded its Stash rewards program, allowing users to earn up to 5% cash back on everyday purchases made with Venmo or its debit card at select merchants. The move aims to boost user engagement by turning routine spending into rewards as Venmo’s transaction volume and active users continue to grow.
🇮🇱 Nayax cuts 3% of workforce in second round of layoffs in 10 months. The FinTech company will lay off 32 employees, including 20 in Israel, as part of ongoing efficiency measures, despite reporting strong revenue growth, a return to profitability in 2025, and expectations to surpass $500 million in revenue this year.
🌏 Brazilian payments firm Ebanx makes Southeast Asia push. The company has officially entered Thailand, Indonesia, and Turkey, with plans to expand into Malaysia and Vietnam in the next quarter. To support its operations in the region, Ebanx has established its Asian headquarters in Singapore, following the recent approval of its Major Payment Institution license by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
🇲🇾 CommercePay and Pine Labs expand instalment payment options for merchants. The collaboration enables CommercePay merchants to offer seamless instalment options across a wider network of issuing banks, covering nearly 60% of credit cardholders in Malaysia, making higher-value purchases more accessible without full upfront payment.
🇧🇷 Samsung Wallet expands coverage for contactless Pix payments. Users will be able to make Pix payments via contactless technology in a practical, fast, and secure way, without needing to open their bank's app. The platform retains the benefits of Samsung Rewards, which lets you earn points on purchases and payments.
🇨🇳 Circle CEO sees 'tremendous opportunity' for yuan-backed stablecoin. Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, said yuan-backed stablecoins could boost China’s global currency influence and predicted their emergence within 3–5 years, though regulatory uncertainty remains.
🇦🇪 Tabby secures wallet licence in the UAE. The licence enables the company to embed everyday financial services, including spending, sending, and managing money, into a platform customers already trust and use regularly. Keep reading
🇦🇺 Paymentology expands into Australia, powering the next generation of FinTech innovation. With a proven track record of enabling banks, FinTechs, and digital disruptors worldwide, Paymentology is bringing its advanced, cloud-native processing platform to support Australia's rapidly evolving payments ecosystem.
🇮🇳 Paytm becomes a majority Indian-owned and controlled company as domestic investors raise stake. The shift marks a structural change in ownership for the FinTech firm, with domestic shareholding rising steadily in recent quarters, reflecting growing investor confidence.
🇬🇧 Payabl. launches Click to pay with Visa. The new card payment experience is designed to help merchants reduce checkout friction, improve authorisation rates, and deliver a faster, more secure online payment journey. The solution works across devices and supports existing security flows, including 3D Secure where required.
🇬🇧 FinTech company Arrival raises £500,000 in pre-seed funding. The company is targeting one million units under management by year-end and intends to use the £500,000 funding to accelerate growth, specifically in the build-to-rent sector. Read more
🇸🇻 Tether backs $134 million raise as stablecoin infrastructure expands into mainstream use cases. Based in El Salvador, the company deploys capital from Tether’s profits and excess reserves across a wide range of sectors where technology, infrastructure, and real-world utility intersect.
🇺🇸 Trustly appoints Randy Kern as group CTO amid US growth push. Kern, who says his focus will be to "unlock even deeper customer and consumer insights across the payments journey" for Trustly users, brings over 20 years of senior technology leadership experience.
🇺🇸 Sen. Elizabeth Warren accuses Musk of dismantling the consumer watchdog to clear the path for X Money. The Senate’s top banking Democrat warned that Musk’s “track record operating X” puts consumers, national security, and financial stability at risk, and pressed him to answer for gutting the agency that would have regulated X Money.
GOLDEN NUGGET
Stablecoins are rebuilding the entire financial stack.
This map breaks it down into 4 clear layers 👇
1️⃣ Distribution layer
Where users and businesses interact
→ Neobanks
→ P2P & remittance
→ Merchant acceptance
→ PSPs & card networks
2️⃣ Infrastructure layer
The pipes powering everything underneath
→ Wallets & custody
→ Issuance & card programs
→ Compliance & security
→ FX & liquidity
3️⃣ Issuance layer
The creators of stablecoins
→ Full-stack issuers
→ White-label providers
4️⃣ Settlement layer
Where value actually moves
→ Public blockchains
→ Payment-focused chains
→ Permissioned institutional rails
📷 Source: Norwest
Want your message in front of 100.000+ FinTech fanatics, founders, investors, and operators?
Shoot me a message on LinkedIn or send me an e-mail.
Comments ()