Breaking Borders: Atze Faas and Olof King on Building a European Payment Landscape.

Nieuwe Knikkers

Payments no longer stop at national borders, and neither does Nieuwe Knikkers ("New Marbles"). In this special international episode, we dive into the evolving landscape of payments in Europe.

A few years ago, the call for a more European-focused payment infrastructure led to the emergence of initiatives like the European Payments Initiative (EPI) and the Digital Euro. These projects aim to create payment solutions in Europe, by Europe. Significant progress has been made, and now, more than ever, the timing seems right for these European solutions to gain traction.

The importance of this topic was underscored at the Dutch Payments Association’s Annual Conference, which focused entirely on European payments. Key players, including representatives from EPI, the Dutch National Bank, the SEPA scheme, and European policymakers, joined forces to discuss the future. But it wasn’t just about industry experts—perspectives from merchants and consumers also took center stage, with contributions from EuroCommerce and the Dutch Consumer Association.

At Nieuwe Knikkers, we firmly believe that end-user adoption is critical to the success of any new payment solution. That’s why we invited Atze Faas, Payments Adviser at EuroCommerce, and Olof King, a board member at BEUC - The European Consumer Organization and a representative of the Dutch Consumer Association, to share their insights.

Together, we explore the challenges posed by the dominance of card schemes and U.S. big tech companies in Europe. Atze and Olof express their concerns about this dependency and highlight the need for a more autonomous and inclusive European payment ecosystem. Key factors for success, they argue, include broad accessibility, competitive pricing, and a strong narrative that resonates with end users. A well-designed collaborative business model could be the foundation for these new payment methods to thrive.

With these considerations in mind, our guests see great potential in the latest payment initiatives. Could this be the start of a new era for payments in Europe?

This episode is brought to you in collaboration with the Dutch Payments Association and made possible by Endava, experts in software engineering for the digital age.

More information about the annual conference of the Dutch Payments Association.