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Six European card payment schemes have joined together to establish the Euro Alliance of Payment Schemes, a
Founding members of EAPS are CO.GE.BAN, managing Pago Bancomat and Bancomat card schemes in Italy, EPCS European Payment Card Solution which manages Germany's 'electronic cash scheme' and ATM network operator Deutsches Geldautomatensystem, UK's Link Interchange Network, Spain's EURO 6000, Portugal's Multibanco, and the European card payment processor Eufiserv based in Brussels.
The objective of the Euro Alliance of Payment Schemes is to enable participating schemes to offer their member banks, a new alternative for pan-European card payments, no longer requiring co-branding with the International Card Schemes.
Pan-European transactions under the
“The EAPS will develop into a new pan-European card payment scheme based on the efficient national schemes and their infrastructures," said Oliver Hommel, coordinator of EAPS.
EAPS is open to new partners. Other payment schemes which are committed to the requirements of the SEPA Cards Framework of the European Payments Council (EPC) are welcome to join.
Later, during 2008, direct participation in EAPS by individual banks will be possible, creating more choice for all issuers and acquirers throughout SEPA.