Europe Makes Real-Time Payments a Mandate

Europe’s push toward real-time payments has entered a new phase, defined not just by technology and consumer preferences but by sovereignty, regulatory force and competitive urgency. The institutions best positioned for what comes next are already moving. French President Emmanuel Macron used a March address to the French Card Payment Summit to call for a sovereign European payment system , warning against reliance on American firms such as Visa, Mastercard and PayPal.