Europe

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

Austria’s RBI has become a member of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), agreeing to act as an Acceptor Payment Service Provider for EPI’s new Wero instant account-to-account payment network. This move means RBI will enable merchants in its network to accept Wero payments across ecommerce channels and soon, in-store POS transactions.

PPRO has announced that BLIK Pay Later option is now available on its local payments platform, offering Polish consumers a deferred payment method via their banking apps. The partnership boosts BLIK Pay Later’s presence in Poland’s e-commerce market and taps into the country’s fast-growing BNPL sector, where transaction value hit PLN 6.3 billion in H1 2025 and 1.5 million consumers use BNPL services.

BNPL

Klarna has partnered with Lufthansa Group to offer airline customers flexible payment options across multiple markets. The collaboration lets travellers choose Klarna’s “Pay Later” or “Financing” plans when booking flights, rather than paying in full upfront. Rolled out initially in Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Switzerland, the new feature provides greater convenience and control allowing customers can delay payment or spread costs over time.

DIGITAL & eCOMMERCE

Aero Commerce has partnered with DNA Payments to provide merchants with a unified omnichannel payment solution. The collaboration links Aero’s web-based retail platform with DNA’s Wi-Fi enabled card terminals, allowing businesses to handle in-store POS transactions and online sales through one system. Retailers using Aero can now manage inventory, payments, and refunds centrally, whether a purchase is made on their e-commerce site or at a physical checkout.

Rest of the World

ACCEPTANCE & PROCESSING

Unlimit has partnered with ShipAfrica to simplify cross-border e-commerce payments across multiple African markets. Under the deal, ShipAfrica’s online shipping platform will integrate Unlimit’s unified payments API, allowing customers to pay for parcel deliveries using over 1,000 local and international methods. These now include popular mobile money options like M-Pesa, Airtel Money and PesaLink in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as local card and bank transfer payments in Nigeria.

Juspay has signed a strategic agreement with Sabre Direct Pay to modernize digital payments in the travel industry. The collaboration will integrate Juspay’s platform with Sabre’s global travel network, enabling airlines, hotels, and online travel agencies to easily offer more local payment methods, seamless checkout experiences, and automated reconciliation across markets.

Ant International’s WorldFirst has launched a new AI-powered API solution to help large enterprises streamline global payments within their own platforms. The integrated offering provides a unified financial stack covering checkout, multi-currency accounts, card issuing, mass payouts in over 100 currencies, and real-time treasury tools backed by AI forecasting.

CRYPTOASSETS/BLOCKCHAIN/DLT

Klarna has unveiled its first stablecoin, KlarnaUSD, underscoring a strategic pivot toward crypto payments. The Swedish fintech’s dollar-backed token will launch on Tempo, a blockchain built by Stripe and Paradigm to optimize payments. KlarnaUSD is in testing and slated for 2026 public release, with Klarna planning further crypto initiatives as it integrates Stripe’s Bridge infrastructure and explores stablecoin use cases in payments.

Visa has partnered with digital asset platform Aquanow to extend its stablecoin-based settlement capabilities across Central & Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA). By leveraging stablecoins for interbank settlement, Visa aims to reduce costs, friction, and settlement.