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The European Payments Initiative is stepping up efforts to reduce its dependence on US-based cloud providers, as it works to build a sovereign European alternative to global card networks.
Backed by 16 European banks and payment service providers, EPI was established to develop a unified payments system capable of competing with Visa and Mastercard, while strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy and resilience in financial infrastructure.
At the centre of the initiative is Wero, EPI’s digital payments platform, which has been live for peer-to-peer transactions since 2024 across Belgium, France, and Germany, and currently serves over 53 million users.
The project has also received support from the European Central Bank, particularly as policymakers grow increasingly concerned about geopolitical risks and external dependencies in critical financial systems.
However, despite its ambitions, EPI acknowledged that its underlying technology stack still relies partly on cloud services provided by major US technology firms.
“When Wero was first launched, only international cloud providers could deliver the level of performance, security, and reliability required,” the organisation said, noting that while all user data is stored in European data centres and protected through encryption, certain operational components remain dependent on non-European infrastructure.
EPI stated that it is actively working to transition toward European-based providers, as the regional cloud ecosystem matures.
“The market has evolved significantly in recent years, and we are building on this progress to reduce reliance on external suppliers while maintaining high standards of performance and security,” the group added.
The move reflects a broader push within Europe to strengthen digital sovereignty, particularly in sensitive sectors such as payments, where infrastructure control is increasingly viewed as a strategic priority.
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