ACI Worldwide Joins EPI to Expand Instant Payments Across Europe
Event summary
- ACI Worldwide has joined the European Payments Initiative (EPI) as a principal member to integrate EPI’s Wero wallet onto ACI’s Payments Orchestration Platform.
- Wero, a pan-European digital wallet, aims to unify payments across Europe, currently serving 55 million users in Belgium, France, and Germany.
- EPI plans to expand Wero to Luxembourg and the Netherlands, with in-store payment options expected to launch in 2027.
- Instant payment transactions in Europe are projected to grow from 17.2 billion in 2023 to 38.6 billion by 2028, accounting for 13% of all electronic payments.
The big picture
ACI Worldwide’s partnership with EPI underscores the growing emphasis on instant payments in Europe, driven by regulatory mandates and consumer demand for seamless digital payment solutions. The collaboration aims to address the fragmentation of payment methods in Europe, leveraging ACI’s global payments infrastructure and EPI’s Wero wallet to streamline transactions across the region. This strategic move aligns with the broader trend of digital transformation in financial services, where instant payments are becoming a critical component of the payments ecosystem.
What we're watching
- Adoption Pace
- The pace at which Wero will be adopted across additional European markets beyond Belgium, France, and Germany.
- Regulatory Compliance
- How ACI and EPI will navigate the EU Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) requirements across different jurisdictions.
- Competitive Dynamics
- Whether ACI’s integration of Wero will enhance its competitive position against other payments orchestration platforms in Europe.
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