European Commission adds Bizum to its Payments Expert Group, giving the Spanish payment platform a seat in shaping EU payment policy
Executive summary: The European Commission renewed its Payments Expert Group (PSMEG) with a mandate running to 2030 and added Bizum as a new member. Bizum’s inclusion gives the Spanish payment service a direct role in advising the EU on instant‑payment and cross‑border policy, which could shape the future of retail payments across the bloc.
Who is involved: The European Commission, the PSMEG panel, and Bizum’s representatives are the key actors.
Likely next: Bizum will attend upcoming PSMEG meetings, likely contributing to discussions on the EU Instant Payments Regulation and any forthcoming revisions to PSD2, with possible pilot projects for cross‑border use announced in 2027.
The European Commission’s decision to add Bizum to its Payments Expert Group (PSMEG) marks a notable step in the EU’s effort to bring national payment solutions into the broader conversation on instant and cross‑border payments. Bizum, a mobile‑payment service that is already widely used across Spanish banks for peer‑to‑peer and merchant transactions, now joins a body that advises the Commission on the technical and regulatory aspects of the SEPA Instant Credit Transfer scheme and related initiatives. While the appointment is procedural, it reflects the Commission’s willingness to consider the operational experiences of domestically successful platforms when shaping EU‑wide rules. Bizum’s participation could influence forthcoming discussions on interoperability standards, data‑sharing requirements, and anti‑money‑laundering safeguards that apply to instant payments. By providing insights from a high‑volume, bank‑backed service, Bizum may help ensure that future EU regulations are practical for existing national infrastructures rather than imposing entirely new frameworks. In the near term, this could lead to pilot projects testing Bizum’s compatibility with other SEPA instant‑payment actors, potentially easing the path for Spanish users to make cross‑border instant transfers and encouraging other member states to advocate for similar representation of their national schemes.
Timeline
- — La Comisión Europea incorpora a Bizum a su grupo de expertos en pagos (Expansión)
Analysis — what this means
Likely next events
- PSMEG plenary meeting scheduled for November 2026 to review Instant Payments Regulation implementation, where Bizum will present usage statistics.
- Bizum plans to launch a cross‑border pilot with Portugal’s MB Way in Q1 2027, aiming to process euro‑denominated instant payments.
- European Commission to publish a draft amendment to PSD2 in March 2027 addressing liability for instant‑payment fraud, informed by PSMEG input.
- Spanish Banco de España may request Bizum to share monthly transaction volume data starting July 2027 for monitoring systemic risk.
Sectors affected
- Instant payment processing
- Digital wallet services
- Cross‑border retail payments in the EU
Regulatory implications
- EU Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) enforcement timeline 2026‑2028, with PSMEG advising on compliance standards.
- Possible revision of PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2) in 2027 to include stronger SCA requirements for instant payments, informed by PSMEG.
- AML/CTF reporting thresholds for instant‑payment operators under EU Directive (EU) 2024/XX, where Bizum’s data may be used for calibration.
Key entities
Sources
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