Europe’s cross-border payments market eyes $30.8tn future, Money20/20 research reveals

By Puja Sharma

The New Money20/20 Europe report revealed that Europe accounts for 48% of global cross-border payments, while stablecoins dominate 35% of industry discussion

Money20/20, the global FinTech show and the place where money does business, today announced the release of a new report produced in partnership with FXC Intelligence, the  provider of cross-border payments data and intelligence, titled “Europe’s Cross Border Payments Crossroads: The Current State and Future Potential of the Industry in 2026.”

Released during Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam (June 2–4), the report analyses more than 1,000 cross-border payments industry articles published across 14 European markets and reveals a region balancing innovation, geopolitical realities and increasing demands for financial sovereignty.

The report found that Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) accounted for $21.1 trillion in outbound retail cross-border payments in 2025, representing 48% of global outflows, and is projected to grow to $30.8 trillion by 2033. Business payments dominate the landscape, accounting for 83% of flows.

The report also highlighted stark differences in sentiment and priorities across European markets. Sweden and the UK emerged among the most optimistic markets, while Romania and Greece reflected greater caution, driven by concerns around geopolitics, sanctions and financial infrastructure resilience.

“Europe’s cross-border payments ecosystem is entering a defining phase where innovation, regulation, and geopolitical realities are colliding,” said Lucy Ingham, VP of Research at FXC Intelligence. “What stands out from this research is that Europe is not simply reacting to global payments transformation — it is actively trying to shape its own future through interoperability, real time infrastructure and new approaches to financial sovereignty. Stablecoins, tokenisation and digital payment modernisation are no longer fringe conversations; they are becoming central to Europe’s strategic financial agenda.”

The report is the second release in a global 2026 research series from Money20/20 and FXC Intelligence examining the future of cross-border payments across major regions worldwide. It follows the successful 2025 collaboration between the two organisations and builds on earlier regional analysis focused on Asia.

“Cross-border payments have become one of the most important battlegrounds shaping the future of financial services globally,” said Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at Money20/20. “This report demonstrates that Europe is uniquely positioned at the intersection of innovation, regulation, and international commerce. As the industry convenes at Money20/20 Europe, these findings underscore why collaboration between banks, FinTechs, regulators, and infrastructure providers will be essential in building the next generation of global money movement.”

Key findings

• Stablecoins, tokenisation and blockchain dominate industry conversation, appearing in 35% of all analysed articles, making them Europe’s most discussed cross border payments topic.
• Interoperability and real time payments are rapidly becoming strategic priorities, with initiatives such as Wero and EuroPA positioned as potential pan European alternatives to traditional global payment networks.
• 63% of European cross border payments carried a positive sentiment, with future focused reporting significantly more optimistic than present focused or retrospective coverage.
• Growing concerns around payments sovereignty, dependency on U.S. dominated payment rails and dollar based stablecoins are shaping policy discussions and accelerating European led infrastructure initiatives.
• Europe’s payments ecosystem is increasingly future oriented, with nearly half of all the coverage analysed focused on upcoming developments, technologies and infrastructure transformation.