In the fourth quarter of 2025, the payment policy landscape was shaped by the Council and European Parliament reaching a landmark agreement on the Payment Services Package (PSR/PSD3), introducing stronger fraud protections, enhanced consumer rights, and improved open banking rules, with finalisation expected in early 2026. In response, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) criticised the fraud-liability rules, warning they could enable criminal activity and conflict with the Digital Services Act. The European Central (ECB) and the European Bank Authority (EBA) then published a report highlighting €4.2…

October 2025 With trilogue negotiations on the Payment Services Package (PSD3/PSR) resuming after the summer break, Card Payment Sweden has published its recommendations to negotiators. A coalition of European technology, payments, and commerce associations has urged a review of proposed unconditional refund rules in the Payment Services Regulation (PSR) to prevent unintended impacts on SMEs. Related to PSR discussions on fraud, this month the European Commission requested information from Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Booking.com on how they prevent financial scams on their platforms. As deliberations on the digital…

The significant use of cards has earned Sweden the reputation of having one of the world’s most efficient payment markets. Card Payment Sweden strives to ensure that the regulatory framework in Sweden and the EU works effectively, facilitating fair competition among the different payment solutions. Card Payment Sweden supports efforts to harmonise payment rules in the EU with the Payment Services Regulation (PSR). With the trilogues having begun in July, we have identified a number of points that require clarification during the discussions to ensure that the PSR…

In the second quarter of 2025, European payments policy was shaped by the EU Council’s adoption of its general approach to the Payment Services Package (PSD3/PSR), setting the stage for upcoming trilogue negotiations. In this newsletter, we cover a European Commission study highlighting competition challenges in the online payments market, focusing on the growing influence of Big Tech firms and established card networks. We also report on the latest developments with regards to the Commission’s antitrust investigation into Visa and Mastercard, alongside a call from major retailers for…

In this first quarter of 2025, the publication of the Commission Work Programme clarified the financial services policy priorities and legislative agenda for the year. In this newsletter, we cover key appointments within the cabinet of EU Finance Commissioner Maria Luis Albuquerque, the latest updates on the discussion related to the Payment Services Package within the EU Council, the implications of a report by the European Court of Auditors on EU rules on card fees, and the latest developments on the Digital Euro initiative. We also cover the…

On 1 December the new European Commission took office, with Maria Luís Albuquerque, the European Commissioner at the helm for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. The timeline for new Commission initiatives is set to be announced in the 2025 work programme expected on 11 February. Meanwhile, this past quarter saw progress in institutional discussions on the Payment Services Regulation and Digital Euro. The Commission requested information from Visa and Mastercard on the fees it charges acquirers. The Commission also called on Apple to stop geo-blocking…

After the elections and summer break, European policy activity was dominated by the nomination of key positions for the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as the publication of the Draghi report, which will play a crucial role in shaping the economic priorities of the European Union (EU) for the next five years. In this newsletter, we cover the key appointments in the Commission and Parliament, the implications and positive outcomes of the Draghi report for the financial industry, the latest developments regarding the EU’s investigation…

While MEPs were campaigning for re-election and parliamentary deliberations paused since the end of April, Council discussions continued on files relevant to card payments, namely the Payment Services Regulation and the digital euro. In addition, in this newsletter we cover outgoing ECON MEPs and which prominent members have been re-elected, a Commission consultation on AI in finance and the latest with regards to the EU’s probe into Apple Pay. Read the full newsletter as PDF   Nyhetsbrev som PDF (svensk version)

Only one month remains before Members of the European Parliament begin campaigning for the EU elections. Ahead of the final Parliament Plenary in the last week of April, EU legislators have been racing to finalise several key files impacting payments. Work on the Instant Payments regulation and the Cyber Resilience Act has been wrapped up. Discussions continue on the PSR/PSD3 and Digital euro but final agreement will happen under the next mandate. In addition, the Commission published an important study which into the Interchange Fee Regulation. Read newsletter…

As the final full year of this EU institutional mandate draws to a close, with only a few months left before the elections in 2024, EU legislators have managed to complete work on key files of relevance to card payments. Agreements in trilogues were found in NovembeCard Payment Swedens nyhetsbrev Q4 2023_Svensk_SKARPr on the Instant Payments Regulation and the Cyber Resilience Act. Meanwhile, work on the PSR and PSD3, as well as the digital euro, is ongoing with the objective of finalising the Parliament’s position before the elections.…