From mandate to mainstream: What happens when real-time euro payments are the default?

Takes place on 30 Sep 2026 07:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM EDT / 04:00 PM CET

Daniela Ceobanu

15 Sep 2026 / 5 Min Read

The Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) has made the sending and receiving of instant euro payments mandatory for most euro area payment service providers.

This is a watershed moment for Europe’s payments market, moving instant transfers from a niche capability to a mainstream expectation, and forcing organisations to rethink the systems, partnerships and strategies needed to compete.

On September 30th Tristan Kirchner, CEO Europe at ClearBank will be joined by Esther Groen, NED and Strategy Consultant, Kate Pohl, Global Sales Lead & Executive Advisor, Projective Group and Charles Damen, Chief Product Officer at Token, to unpack what the catalyst is for this growth, the operational and strategic implications today, and broader implications faced by organisations

Agenda

The evolving payments mix: SEPA Credit Transfers appear likely to move, but how will this impact the payments value chain and what role will other factors such as A2A, and direct debit play?
Operational implications: Many banks face the challenge of upgrading legacy core banking systems to support 24/7/365 operations and 10-second processing windows. What does that mean for the clients?
Changing market participants: IPR enables EMIs to become direct participants in SEPA clearing systems, a status previously limited to credit institutions, but how many will take this route?
Structural challenges: Will smaller and mid-tier banks and PSPs want to be direct participants, or does this create opportunities for infrastructure providers? If you are not going direct, what do you actually need from a partner? The future of European payments: SEPA Instant’s growth is part of a broader transformation, what happens to cards, direct debits, and Wero

Presenters

Kate Pohl

Global Sales Lead & Executive Advisor

Tristan Kirchner

CEO Europe at ClearBank

Charles Damen

Chief Product Office at Token.io

Esther Groen

NED and Strategy Consultant

Keywords:

payments A2A SEPA Wero PSP

Countries:

World

The Paypers is a global hub for market insights, real-time news, expert interviews, and in-depth analyses and resources across payments, fintech, and the digital economy. We deliver reports, webinars, and commentary on key topics, including regulation, real-time payments, cross-border payments and ecommerce, digital identity, payment innovation and infrastructure, Open Banking, Embedded Finance, crypto, fraud and financial crime prevention, and more – all developed in collaboration with industry experts and leaders.