business
Spain's Bizum to Enable Account-to-Account Payments in Physical Stores
Bizum will begin allowing instant payments at physical shops from 18 May using NFC technology, routing transactions directly between accounts. The system has more than 30 million users in Spain and processes 3.4 million instant transfers daily. The rollout is expected to reduce reliance on card networks and lower fees for merchants.
May 9, 1:00 AM·2m read1 source
EuronewsAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Spain's Bizum payment system will start supporting account-to-account transfers at physical retail locations from 18 May, according to Euronews. The service uses NFC technology to move funds directly from a customer's bank account to a merchant's via instant transfer.
Until now such in-store payments have typically relied on Visa or Mastercard networks. Bizum, which began as an interoperability project among Spanish banks, has grown to more than 30 million users, representing nearly the entire adult banking population.
It includes 111,000 businesses and around 40 banking institutions. In 2025 the platform handled 3.4 million instant transfers per day. The initial rollout will be led by banks including CaixaBank, Sabadell and Bankinter, with remaining banks following in stages.
Full availability is anticipated before the end of the year, although the main consumer push is expected in September or October.
Merchants currently pay interchange and service fees for each card transaction, while spending data is processed on servers outside Spain. Bizum's direct-transfer model cuts out those intermediaries and is expected to offer lower fees. Euronews reported that if the in-store experience matches the online one, local businesses will have a financial incentive to adopt the domestic system.
In e-commerce, Bizum recorded more than 100 million payments in 2025 and reduced cart abandonment rates. Projections cited by Euronews suggest the service could capture between 25 percent and 35 percent of physical-shop payment volume in Spain within two to three years.
