Newsletter 1-2026

In Q1 2026, the Council and the European Parliament are finalising the technical details of the Payment Services Package (PSR/PSD3) ahead of its adoption. At the same time, the European Parliament has reached a preliminary position on the digital euro, paving the way for trilogue negotiations with the Council, while the ECB continues to advance its pilot independently.

Momentum is building. Across the EU, stakeholders are increasingly calling for greater strategic autonomy in payments, and for credible alternatives to Mastercard and Visa.

In this issue, we unpack what a sovereign European payment system could look like, explore the latest developments on the digital euro, and examine why the push for European alternatives is gaining urgency.

You can also read more about:
– efforts to build a sovereign European payment system
– the European Parliament’s preliminary deal on the digital euro
– growing calls for alternatives to Mastercard and Visa

Access the full newsletter as PDF:

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