Card Issuing

If you’ve spent any time in the fintech world over the last decade, you’ve heard the rumblings. The "European Payments Initiative" (EPI) has been the industry's Loch Ness Monster: frequently discussed, often doubted, and occasionally dismissed as a myth. But as we move through 2026, the monster has finally breached the surface, and it has a name: Wero . Backed by 16 heavyweight European banks and international payment processors: think BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, and Worldlin

It is March 2026, and if you look inside the digital wallet of the average consumer, you will see a revolution in progress. However, if you look at the balance sheets of many major issuers and their legacy co-branding partners, you will see a mounting crisis. For decades, the co-branded credit card was the "holy grail" of customer loyalty. The formula was simple: partner an airline or a petrol station with a bank, slap a logo on a piece of plastic, and offer a few points for