Are variable recurring payments available in the EU?

Not yet. No EU scheme offers VRP to merchants in 2026. The European open banking scheme SPAA has been on hold pending the PSD3 and Payment Services Regulation. Brazil offers a comparable service with Pix Automático.

Why the EU is behind the UK

In the UK, the competition authority required the largest banks to build open banking standards, including sweeping VRP, and a scheme was then created for commercial VRP. The EU has no equivalent mandate for recurring account-to-account payments, and banks have waited for the new legal framework before investing.

What exists today in the EU

• SEPA Direct Debit for recurring payments.
• Cards stored for recurring and merchant-initiated payments.
• Single open banking payments through payment initiation services.
• SEPA Instant for one-off transfers, now available from all euro area PSPs.

What could change

The SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) scheme defines premium open banking services between banks and third parties, which could include recurring payments. Its progress depends on the final PSD3 and PSR texts.

Elsewhere

Brazil's Pix Automático lets customers authorize recurring Pix payments, showing how instant payment systems can add recurring features.

What it means for payment operators

For your EU merchants, recurring billing still relies on cards and direct debit. Recurring payment infrastructure that can add new rails later keeps them ready for VRP when a scheme arrives.