Payments Day 2026 – One Europe, One Market for Payments

For the third year, EuroCommerce organised Payments Day!

The discussions confirmed what EuroCommerce advocates: Europe needs a truly integrated single payments market if it wants to strengthen its competitiveness, resilience and economic sovereignty.

Despite significant progress businesses operating across Europe still face a fragmented payments landscape. For retailers and wholesalers, this means unnecessary complexity, higher costs and barriers to growth across the Single Market.

At EuroCommerce, we believe three priorities should guide the next phase of Europe’s payments agenda:

• Build a genuine Single Market for Payments: Making and accepting payments across Europe should be as seamless as trading goods and services across borders.
• Give merchants a stronger voice: Retailers and wholesalers are not just users of payments services. Their needs and experiences must be included in shaping the solutions of tomorrow.
• Foster competition and innovation: Europe needs payment solutions that are competitive, resilient, affordable and easy for businesses and consumers to adopt.

For more information about our work on Payments, we also invite you to read our latest papers on the Digital Euro, cash acceptance and on commercial cards.

Many thanks to all our speakers and moderator for their valuable contributions and for helping drive this important discussion forward.