Seven mobile payment systems in Europe are establishing the European Mobile Payment System Association (EMPSA), uniting 25 million mobile payment users. The ambition is to make mobile payments possible cross-border when using MobilePay, or another local solution outside Denmark and Finland.
The smartphone as a method of payment has been successfully introduced in several European countries, experiencing significant user and usage growth.
On the initiative of the Swiss mobile payment system TWINT, seven leading mobile payment providers have now agreed to foster collaboration and international payment through a new association, European Mobile Payment System Association (EMPSA). The EMPSA members combine 25 million registered users, above one million merchant acceptance points and more than 35 banks attached.
The association will from the start cover Denmark and Finland (MobilePay), Belgium (Banccontact Payconiq), Germany and Austria (Bluecode), Portugal (SIBS), Sweden (Swish), Norway (VIPPS) and Switzerland (TWINT). More countries and mobile payment systems are expected to join the association over the next months.
Mark Wraa-Hansen, the CEO of MobilePay, is pleased that MobilePay plays a central role in EMPSA as a founding member.
“The rapid growth in mobile payments will lead to an increasing user demand of being able to pay everywhere in Europe with your mobile payment solution, leaving cards and physical wallets behind. EMPSA can be vital in achieving interoperability within a short timeframe,” Mark Wraa-Hansen says.
First focus area will be cross-border payments
Focus the first year will be on rather fast to be able to present pilot cases on users paying across EMPSA-countries. The seven existing members of EMPSA all have similar set-ups and will expectedly use the QR code to create technical compability.
The new association have not yet been in dialogue with the European Commission but the EU have earlier asked member countries to be active in achieving interoperability.
“We therefore expect that our initiative will be well received and that we will see more mobile payment systems join in the time to come,” Mark Wraa-Hansen says.
The headquarters of EMPSA is located in Zurich, Switzerland. The association is chaired by Søren Mose, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TWINT and vice-chaired by Anna-Lena Wretman, CEO Swish. Secretary General is Anton Stadelmann, Deputy CEO and CFO of TWINT.
Contact:
Peter Kjærgaard
Head of Press, MobilePay
Mobile: +45 25424202
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