The Electronic Payment Service Providers’ Association (EFISZ) held professional consultations in Brussels on 12–13 January with several Directorates-General of the European Commission.
The purpose of the meetings was to present the achievements of the Hungarian electronic payment and digital service ecosystem, the experiences of the instant payment infrastructure, and domestic interoperability solutions to ensure their direct appearance in the European digital finance regulatory discourse.
The delegation also participated in the 13th Fintech Visits programme organised by the European Digital Finance Association (EDFA), one of the EU’s flagship forums for fintech policy dialogue.
Interoperability and a Unified Digital Experience – Presenting the Hungarian Model to DG FISMA
During the meeting with DG FISMA’s leadership and experts, EFISZ presented:
- the mandatory instant payment infrastructure, operational since 2020,
- the market model built on equal access,
- and Hungarian solutions focused on interoperability and a unified user experience.
Key topics included:
- the National Mobile Payment System, operating successfully for many years as part of the national digital service ecosystem, providing a centrally coordinated, standards‑based infrastructure for participating partners (National Mobile Payment Platform – A Digital Service Ecosystem);
- the coordinated use of QR, NFC, deep link, and request‑to‑pay solutions;
- the “qvik” service, which enables NFC‑based instant payments to be initiated directly on POS terminals.
According to feedback from DG FISMA experts, the practical experience of the Hungarian models may provide relevant input for further developing the EU’s digital payment strategy and regulatory framework.
DG JUST – 28th Regime and Innovation Pilots
Discussions with DG JUST focused on the development of the 28th Regime innovation framework.
EFISZ emphasised that, in addition to shaping the regulatory environment, real market pilot projects are needed, providing structured feedback to regulators and ensuring that the new European competitiveness framework is grounded in actual market functioning.
The Hungarian position has already been incorporated into EDFA’s earlier position papers, making domestic professional perspectives visible at the European level.
Hungarian Best Practice: Regulated Yet Innovation‑Friendly Operation
EFISZ highlighted that the success of the digital payment transition in Hungary is driven by three key factors:
- a stable and transparent regulatory environment,
- continuous, structured professional dialogue between market players and authorities,
- and proactive support for the spread of digital services.
This model fits well with Europe’s digital sovereignty and competitiveness ambitions and offers a practical example of how national‑level cooperation can generate value at the EU level.
Outlook: Active Hungarian Participation in Shaping the European Payment Landscape
EFISZ aims for the achievements of the Hungarian electronic payment ecosystem to be integrated into:
- the emerging European payment standards,
- the initiatives of the European Payments Alliance (EuroPA),
- and the new operative framework following PSD3/PSR.
In 2026, the association will continue institutional cooperation to ensure that Hungarian innovations play an active role in developing the European digital financial space.
Digital Payment Infrastructure as a Foundation of Competitiveness
These collaborations go beyond policy consultations, contributing directly to strengthening the competitiveness of the digital economy.
The interoperable model built on Hungary’s instant payment infrastructure and the National Mobile Payment System demonstrates that a regulated yet innovation‑friendly environment can simultaneously ensure market competition, a unified user experience, and continuous technological progress.
Such stable digital foundational layers accelerate economic transactions, encourage innovation, and underpin the functioning of a competitive, integrated European digital economy.
