Cross-border mobile payments go European with EuroPA pilot

BLIK, Poland’s leading mobile payments system, has launched a pilot programme enabling euro-denominated phone-to-phone (P2P) transfers with other European mobile payment providers — a significant step toward a unified European payments market.

Mobile payments go European with EuroPA pilot

The pilot was unveiled during the Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon, marking the first successful transaction between Portugal’s MB WAY and a BLIK user at Santander Bank Polska.

The initiative is part of the broader European Payments Alliance (EuroPA), which aims to link national mobile payment systems into a single interoperable network.

The test transfer — from a Portuguese MB WAY user to a Polish BLIK customer identified by phone number — demonstrated the potential for truly borderless, real-time P2P payments across Europe.

Seamless Payments Across Borders

Initially, the pilot allows BLIK users in Poland to receive transfers from partner networks including MB WAY (Portugal), Bizum (Spain), Bancomat (Italy) and Vipps (Nordic countries).

The programme is built on the SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) infrastructure, which enables instant euro transactions 24/7.

“The first euro transfer to a Polish customer’s phone number, holding an account in złoty, is a symbolic milestone,” said Dariusz Mazurkiewicz, CEO of BLIK operator Polski Standard Płatności.

“It marks the beginning of transformative change in the global mobile payments landscape and reinforces Europe’s payment sovereignty.”

BLIK’s integration within EuroPA is expected to eventually connect more than 100 million users across ten countries. The alliance’s long-term ambition is to enable seamless euro payments between over 450 million Europeans, regardless of their national banking system.

Banks Back European Interoperability

Santander Bank Polska, which took part in the initial testing, said participation in the pilot aligns with its broader commitment to faster, simpler cross-border payments.

“Joining the programme is a natural step for us,” said Przemysław Dukiel, Tribe Leader for Everyday Banking at Santander. “We want to provide clients with the best cross-border experience possible.”

PKO Bank Polski is also preparing to join the next stage of the pilot. The bank plans to expand its IKO app to support euro-based BLIK transfers, with both receiving and sending capabilities to follow soon.

“Our customers already make over 50 million domestic BLIK phone transfers each quarter,” noted Edyta Tararuj, Director of Product Development at PKO Bank Polski. “We believe the popularity of BLIK will translate into demand for euro transfers across Europe.”

As EuroPA continues to expand — now including systems from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Poland, Greece, and the Nordics — the initiative signals a decisive move toward a more integrated and sovereign European digital payments ecosystem.