European Payments Acceptance | Weekly News 21st March

Apple expands Tap to Pay on iPhone to nine more European countries. Merchants can now accept contactless payments directly on their iPhones in Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Lloyds Cardnet is partnering with EposNow to deliver integrated POS and payment solutions to UK merchants. Businesses will be able to accept payments across multiple channels – including in-store, online, mobile and over the phone – in an integrated payment ecosystem.
J.P. Morgan Payments expands in Europe with iDEAL integration. The expansion follows J.P. Morgan Payments’ 2024 move to become a member of Carter Bancaires CB in France.
Fiserv acquired CCV, a European payment services provider, with the aim to expand its Clover platform. The acquisition grants Fiserv access to CCV’s 600,000 clients in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, boosting its European market presence.

India’s Mswipe is entering the UK through Cashflows partnership. It will tap Cashflows’ UK acquiring licence to operate as an acquirer in the UK, managing merchant onboarding, pricing, settlement terms and processing, all while using its existing proprietary technology. Mumbai-based Mswipe provides payment services to a network of 800,000 merchants in India.

Klarna and OnePay partner to offer instalment loans at Walmart. U.S. Shoppers can pay online and in-store, with options from 3 to 36 months, managed via the OnePay app.
Klarna to shut down three offices ahead of IPO. Klarna will close offices in Amsterdam, Mannheim, and Columbus to cut costs before its US IPO.
Cash App integrates with Afterpay for BNPL at the checkout Users can pay in four instalments or monthly, expanding access to flexible payments.

UniCredit completes acquisition of Aion Bank and Vodeno for €376M. UniCredit sees the deal as the foundation to enable expansion into Poland and other European market by offering neobank use experience with the financial strength and regulatory oversight of a traditional player. UniCredit aims for 2.5 million new clients.

Worldpay partners with Visa to offer click-to-pay solutions in the UK.
Chinese marketplace Temu expands its partnership with Checkout.com improving online payments in 30+ markets. This enhances customer experience with diverse payment options and optimized transactions, leveraging Checkout.com’s technology and global reach.

Revolut is hiring and testing systems for a summer of customer migration, after securing its UK banking licence. While aiming to become a primary UK bank, they are also eyeing US expansion and preparing for a potential 2026 IPO.
Santander to shut almost a quarter of UK branch network totalling to nearly 100 branches of their 444 UK branches.

Edenred Payment Solutions launched virtual cards for instant insurance payouts. Cards integrate with mobile wallets, offering secure, controlled spending at pre-approved merchants.
Google Wallet allows children to make payments using Google Pay. With parental consent, children can also use Google Wallet to access supported passes like event tickets, library cards and gift cards. The update will be rolled out over the next few weeks in the US, UK, Australia, Spain and Poland.
Curve secures £37m to enhance its digital wallet surpassing £300m total funding. The company now has over six million users around the world.

Mastercard and Virgin Money partner to expand UK open banking, allowing Virgin Money customers to view all account balances in one app. This simplifies financial management for 6.6 million customers.
Open Banking-enabled payments provider, Atoa, has secured regulatory approval from the FCA to operate as an Authorised Payment Institution.

Trustly becomes first to support Sweden’s Central Bank Instant Settlement System, enabling instant payouts across all Swedish banks. Initially for iGaming, the service will expand, enhancing the Swedish payment ecosystem.

The FCA is considering removing or raising the £100 contactless limit to boost consumer choice and economic growth. They propose allowing firms with strong fraud controls to set their own limits, while maintaining consumer protection against fraud.

To find out more, get in touch