Main highlight of the report
Even though Europe’s payment landscape is fraught with challenges, recent efforts may result in a more cohesive and simplified payment ecosystem.
New regulatory changes on the horizon (SEPA, PSD3, IPR), along with initiatives such as the digital euro and EPI, as well as blockchain-based solutions and CBDCs, will significantly reshape who the winning key players are in the EU and beyond.
The 2025 ‘Key Players in the EU Payments Landscape’ report by The Payments Association EU (PA EU), written in collaboration with Deloitte and The Paypers, offers an exclusive strategic review across the EU’s individual payments markets, ranking the key players according to their place in the value chain and financial indicators.
In the first part, Deloitte presents the changing landscape of the payments industry, and gives its view on the state of the payments ecosystem. In the second part, we take a closer look at the players and characteristics in each of the 27 EU countries.
A noteworthy addition compared to last year’s report is the consolidated regional overviews. Each region is now presented with a unified snapshot of key demographics, economic indicators, market size, number of licensed entities, and payment behaviour, allowing for easier comparison across Europe.
Additionally, an ‘Expert Opinion’ on the payments landscape in each EU country is provided by 40 local professionals.
The report is complemented by a financial perspective thanks to the exclusive use of the Orbis database (by Bureau van Dijk, a Moody’s Analytics Company) and convenient LinkedIn hyperlinks to easily reach all listed companies.
