“EPI” stands for “European Payments Initiative” 

EPI is an initiative launched by 12 European banks and financial institutions to create a unified, innovative pan-European payment solution leveraging Instant Payments SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst).

The solution aims to become a new standard in payments for European consumers and merchants across all types of retail transactions including in-store, online, and “peer-to-peer”.

EPI shareholders want to bring value to the market by offering an end-to-end payment solution based on the Instant Payment scheme as defined by the European Payments council (EPC) covering multiple use cases (e.g., merchant payments, peer-to-peer payments, etc.), secure, immediate and easy-to-use.

Europe has now the opportunity to leverage instant payments. This initiative is therefore in line with recent positions from European public authorities urging banks and payment service providers to build a payment solution on top of the Instant Payment scheme and to offer an alternative and independent payment system.

EPI’s objective is to offer a consistent digital payment solution for all major retail use cases (P2P, POS, e- / m-commerce) that can be used anywhere in Europe and to supersede the fragmented landscape that currently still exists. In doing so, EPI founders are responding to merchant and consumer communities that have been calling for payment initiatives to take a more pan-European approach.

EPI will first and foremost benefit European citizens, possibly boosting innovation in the world of payments. About 50% of retail payment transactions in Europe are still done by cash today. The EPI solution will also bring tangible benefits to European merchants, by offering them a seamless, competitive and unified payment solution for Europe being available to all European consumers.

The EPI solution will reinforce competition in the payment services market, currently dominated by a few big international schemes and players. The Covid19-crisis has confirmed the need for digital payment solutions in Europe. Therefore, EPI’s solution will be ideally positioned to propose choice to consumers and merchants. EPI will offer a consistent solution for all participating countries, positioning as an alternative to existing international solutions.

The very purpose of launching EPI is to enrich the merchants’ and consumers’ choice in terms of payment solutions. EPI as a new and innovative market player may be expected to increase competition both in terms of quality and conditions.

Instant Payments allow the development of a service covering multiple payment use cases (e.g., paying friends & family, paying in a shop, paying online, paying a bill or an invoice), which no other solution offers for the time being.

EPI is open for European market players, individual banks or banking communities, as well as payment service providers to apply and join EPI. For the time being, 12 European banks and financial institutions are involved spanning across five European countries, including leading pan-European third-party acquirers.

Like existing international solutions, EPI is being designed as a consistent solution across countries. EPI participants will roll out progressively the EPI solution to their customers.

EPI’s ambition is to become a new standard of payments in Europe, thus offering an independent European alternative. EPI as an emerging scheme intends to pursue collaborative discussions with both international and domestic payment schemes.

EPI has interacted and continues interacting with European merchant associations to get their feedback on the solution and ensure that the EPI solution will cater for their needs.

EPI Company continues work and preparations for launch. We expect to communicate further in the coming months.

If you are a journalist interested in covering EPI you may register your interest to receive EPI updates the instant they’re available. Simply email us at media@epicompany.eu with the subject line “Media List” and include your name, organisation, title and contact details in the email body.