Revolut, Wise and Bits Join the European Payment Council

Why It Matters

Fintech membership expands EPC’s influence, accelerating A2A standard adoption and driving cost‑effective, real‑time payments across the EU market.

Key Takeaways

• EPC membership rises to 83 PSPs.
• Revolut Bank, Wise, Bits join EPC Jan 1.
• New members signal fintech focus on A2A standards.
• EPC aims harmonised European digital payments.
• Inclusion boosts innovation and cross‑border payment efficiency.

Pulse Analysis

The European Payments Council (EPC) has long acted as the central scheme manager for account‑to‑account (A2A) transactions across the continent. By defining technical standards and fostering collaboration among payment service providers, the EPC enables faster, cheaper cross‑border flows while reducing fragmentation. With 83 members now, the council represents a broad mix of banks, national associations and emerging fintechs, reinforcing its role as the de‑facto hub for European payment interoperability. This infrastructure becomes increasingly critical as the digital economy expands and regulators push for a unified payments market.

The recent admission of Revolut Bank, Wise and Bits marks a strategic shift toward fintech‑driven innovation within the EPC. Each of these firms brings a large, tech‑savvy customer base and sophisticated APIs that can accelerate the adoption of A2A schemes. Revolut’s banking licence, Wise’s cross‑border remittance expertise, and Bits’ focus on open‑banking connectivity collectively broaden the council’s reach into retail and SME segments that have traditionally relied on legacy rails. Their participation signals confidence that standardized A2A will deliver cost savings and real‑time settlement for millions of users.

Looking ahead, the expanded membership is likely to speed up the rollout of the SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) model and inspire new use cases such as instant payroll, e‑commerce checkout and embedded finance. Regulators may lean on the EPC’s consensus‑based standards to streamline compliance, while merchants benefit from reduced transaction fees and simplified integration. For consumers, the convergence of fintech agility with EPC’s governance promises a more seamless, borderless payment experience, positioning Europe as a leader in next‑generation digital payments.