When do non-euro EU countries have to support instant payments?

Non-euro member states must be able to receive instant payments from January 2027 and send them from July 2027, and non-bank payment institutions have their own deadlines in 2027. Operators serving merchants in those countries should expect instant settlement to become a baseline there as well, not a premium option sold to a few merchants.

The regulation's timeline

The EU Instant Payments Regulation set deadlines by currency and by type of institution. Euro-area banks had to receive instant payments from January 2025 and send them from October 2025, with Verification of Payee at the same date. Non-euro member states follow: their banks must be able to receive instant euro payments from January 2027 and send them from July 2027. Payment institutions and e-money institutions have their own 2027 deadlines.

What it means in those markets

• Instant settlement becomes the baseline for euro transfers in Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Czechia, Hungary and the other non-euro states.
• Domestic instant schemes in local currency, such as Blik or Swish, continue alongside.
• Verification of Payee applies to euro transfers there as well.

For operators

Instant payments stop being a premium option to sell to a few merchants and become something every merchant expects, as in the euro area. Payout flows should be ready for instant settlement and name verification across all EU markets by 2027. Operators serving merchants in non-euro countries should plan their provider connections and payout logic with those dates in mind, rather than treating those markets as exceptions.