On 24 March 2021, the European Commission issued a targeted consultation on instant payments. The Commission also published a strategy for the initiative on instant payments in the EU.

The targeted consultation will inform the Commission on remaining obstacles as well as possible enabling actions that it could take to ensure a wide availability and use of instant payments in the EU. It will also enable the Commission to decide on whether EU coordinated action and/or policy measures are warranted in order to ensure that a critical mass of EU payment services providers offer instant credit transfers. The consultation also seeks to identify factors that would be relevant for fostering customer demand towards instant credit transfers.

The deadline for comments on the targeted consultation is 2 June 2021.

These initiatives follow up on the Commission communication on a “Retail Payments Strategy in the EU” adopted on 24 September 2020. The communication confirmed the goal of fostering the full take up of instant payments in the EU and listed a number of possible initiatives to support that objective.

The Commission also published on 11 March 2021, a consultation relating to a draft roadmap (impact assessment) regarding a proposed Regulation on an EU-wide instant payments scheme.