Banking associations CECA, AEB, and UNACC celebrate the start of the interconnection of Bizum with 13 European countries

• Bizum, Bancomat, SIBS-MB WAY, and Vipps MobilePay, members of the EuroPA Alliance, and the European Payments Initiative (EPI), sign a memorandum of understanding to interconnect the payment solutions of their respective countries, benefiting more than 330 million inhabitants of 13 European Union countries.
• The banking associations support such types of private initiatives that drive innovation, efficiency, and technological and financial sovereignty in the European Union, thanks to the infrastructure, scale, and technological capability of the banking sector and European payment service providers.
• Bizum, which already has more than 30 million users in Spain, will enable payments with Italy, Portugal, and Andorra starting from March 2025.

CECA, the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), and the National Union of Credit Cooperatives (Unacc) endorse the start of the implementation phase for the interconnection of European payment solutions Bizum, Bancomat, MB WAY, Vipps MobilePay, and Wero/EPI, which will enable smooth and secure cross-border payments throughout Europe.

More than 330 million inhabitants of 13 European countries will be able to send and receive payments from their usual national applications to users in other European Union countries, experiencing the same payment conditions as in their home country, reinforcing Europe’s strategic autonomy in payment systems and the functioning of the single market.

The project relies on the use of European infrastructures and standards, and will initially allow cross-border payments between individuals (P2P), with plans to enable payments in physical and electronic stores in the future.

The initiative is now beginning its implementation phase following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the creation of a central interoperability hub, which will connect existing national payment platforms. This will help reduce dependence on international actors and advance the technological and financial sovereignty of the European Union.

CECA, AEB, and Unacc, as members of European financial sector associations (EBF, ESBG, and EACB, respectively), advocate for such types of industry-led private initiatives that promote innovation and efficiency, leveraging the infrastructure, scale, and technological capabilities of the banking sector and European payment service providers.

In the case of Spain, Bizum, the immediate payment solution driven by the banking sector, continues its national growth and international expansion.

In 2025, the number of users grew by 13.2%, surpassing 30 million, with 3.4 million Bizums processed each day, amounting to over 67 billion euros, and 111,000 businesses and e-commerce platforms already using Bizum as a payment method. Additionally, from March 2025, Bizum will enable cross-border payments in Italy, Portugal, and Andorra.