European PayTech Nexi becomes the first in Italy to offer Visa Direct and Mastercard Move, enabling faster, more efficient payments directly to customer cards.
Nexi, the European PayTech company operating in high-growth, advanced markets across the continent, has announced two strategic collaborations with Visa and Mastercard to bring faster, easier, and more cost-efficient payment options to Italian businesses.
Through the integration of Visa Direct and Mastercard Move, solutions that provide real-time global fund transfers across Visa and mastercard networks, respectively, Nexi will enable corporate clients and merchants to move money directly to customers’ credit or debit cards — the first fintech in the Italian market to do that.
The new capability allows businesses to move money instantly and securely for use cases such as refunds, insurance payouts, and compensation, offering a faster and more reliable alternative to traditional bank transfers or cheques. By embedding these global card-based money transfer platforms into its suite of business services, Nexi aims to improve liquidity management and cash flow efficiency for thousands of Italian enterprises.
The introduction of these real-time payments solutions comes at a time when Europe’s payments landscape is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by regulatory and technological advancements. The European Commission’s Instant Payments Regulation, adopted in early 2025, is pushing payment service providers across the EU to deliver real-time transactions in euros by default, 24/7 and at low cost. Italy, which has historically shown slower uptake of instant payments compared to Northern European markets, is now accelerating adoption through PayTech-driven innovation.
Across Europe, instant payments already account for over 14% of credit transfers, according to the European Central Bank, with strong growth expected as digital payment providers integrate instant and card-based rails. By combining Visa Direct and Mastercard Move with its infrastructure, Nexi positions itself at the forefront of this convergence, bridging traditional payment systems, open banking frameworks, and emerging real-time settlement capabilities.
Pilot projects in Italy have already demonstrated positive results, showing reductions in processing time and operational costs for participating businesses. Both solutions are expected to be fully integrated into Nexi’s business service suite during 2026, enabling clients to execute instant card-to-card payments seamlessly within their existing workflows.
These integrations represent a key milestone in Nexi’s strategy to promote faster, data-driven payments across Europe’s business ecosystem, supporting the continent’s broader shift toward digital and real-time financial infrastructure.
