The European payments landscape is shifting fast. Card fees are under pressure, open banking is maturing, and both consumers and businesses increasingly expect instant, low‑cost bank payments. In this context, the new strategic partnership between akurateco yowpay lands at exactly the right moment.
By integrating Yowpay’s SEPA account‑to‑account orchestration layer natively into Akurateco’s white‑label payment platform, payment service providers (PSPs), acquirers and enterprise merchants across Europe can now activate fully managed SEPA transfers as an alternative payment method (APM) — without rebuilding their payment stack.
The result is a future‑ready payments infrastructure that delivers cost‑efficient, real‑time compatible euro payment flows with higher conversion and lower fees, directly inside the tools that PSPs and merchants already use every day.
Why SEPA Account‑to‑Account Payments Matter More Than Ever
SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) transfers have quietly become one of Europe’s most important payment rails. Today, SEPA is already the second most used payment method in Europe, and its role keeps growing as open banking and instant payments expand across the region.
Compared to cards, SEPA account‑to‑account (A2A) payments offer a powerful set of advantages for both merchants and payment providers:
- Lower processing costs than traditional card schemes, thanks to a bank‑to‑bank model with fewer intermediaries.
- Real‑time compatible settlement in markets where SEPA Instant is supported, improving cash flow and customer experience.
- High trust and familiarity for European consumers and businesses, who are used to paying via bank transfer.
- Strong fit for B2B and high‑ticket payments, where card limits, interchange and chargeback risk can be problematic.
Until now, fully leveraging SEPA A2A often required complex internal builds, custom integrations and bespoke reconciliation workflows. The Yowpay–Akurateco partnership changes that dynamic by delivering ready‑to‑use SEPA orchestration as a native capability inside Akurateco’s white‑label platform.
Who Are Yowpay and Akurateco?
Yowpay: SEPA‑Native Account‑to‑Account Orchestration
Yowpay is a Luxembourg‑based SaaS company specializing in SEPA account‑to‑account payments and payment orchestration for the eurozone. Its platform is designed from the ground up for SEPA flows and provides:
- Business IBANs dedicated to each merchant and/or end customer.
- Multiple SEPA payment initiation channels, including QR codes, manual bank transfers and open banking flows.
- Automated reconciliation and detailed reporting to match incoming transfers with invoices, orders and customers.
- Support for low‑risk and high‑risk merchant categories, giving PSPs more flexibility in their portfolios.
- A modular SEPA API that can be tailored to diverse use cases and integration styles.
- A non‑MoR (non‑Merchant‑of‑Record) model with direct access to funds, so merchants and PSPs stay in control of their cash.
Yowpay’s mission is to help businesses reduce operational effort, accelerate cash flow and optimize payment acceptance across the eurozone through smarter SEPA orchestration.
Akurateco: Global White‑Label Payment Platform
Akurateco is a leading provider of white‑label payment software used by PSPs, acquirers, banks and enterprise merchants worldwide. Its platform offers a full‑scale payment environment, including:
- Advanced payment orchestration with smart routing and cascading across multiple providers.
- Centralized management of multiple card‑acquiring MIDs and payment channels.
- A broad hub of alternative payment methods (APMs) tailored to different regions and verticals.
- Merchant management tools, risk controls and performance analytics.
- Secure, scalable infrastructure for international payment operations.
With its flexible architecture, Akurateco enables PSPs and financial institutions to scale globally while retaining full control over risk, routing, reporting and the merchant lifecycle.
What the Yowpay–Akurateco Integration Delivers
Native SEPA Orchestration Inside Akurateco
Through this strategic partnership, Yowpay’s SEPA layer is now natively embedded into Akurateco’s white‑label platform. This means that PSPs, acquirers and enterprise merchants using Akurateco can activate SEPA transfers as a fully managed alternative payment method directly in their existing environment.
No separate front‑end build, no custom dashboards, no additional vendor onboarding for merchants. SEPA A2A becomes just another payment method inside a familiar, unified payment interface — but with all the power of Yowpay’s orchestration behind the scenes.
Expanded APM Portfolio for Akurateco’s Clients
By adding Yowpay, Akurateco significantly strengthens its already wide portfolio of alternative payment methods. PSPs and acquirers can now offer their merchants a complete SEPA A2A layer that is:
- Managed end to end by Yowpay, from initiation to reconciliation.
- Designed for euro‑denominated flows across the SEPA zone.
- Aligned with European customer expectations, where bank transfers are standard.
This expanded APM stack makes it easier for payment providers to win new merchants, retain existing ones and quickly adapt to local preferences in each European market.
A Cost‑Efficient Alternative to Cards
One of the strongest benefits of the Yowpay–Akurateco integration is its ability to create low‑fee payment flows that are compatible with real‑time settlement. By steering euro payments through SEPA A2A instead of card rails where appropriate, merchants can:
- Reduce transaction costs, improving margins on every euro processed.
- Lower dependency on card schemes and the volatility of interchange and scheme fees.
- Optimize settlement timings with faster fund availability compared to traditional card clearing cycles.
For PSPs and acquirers, this cost‑efficient alternative means a new way to differentiate their offerings and help merchants improve profitability without sacrificing user experience.
Higher Conversion and Smoother Checkout Experiences
SEPA transfers are widely preferred in multiple European markets, especially for higher‑value or recurring payments. With Yowpay embedded in Akurateco, merchants can present SEPA A2A as a native payment option in their checkout flows through:
- QR‑code‑based payments for fast, mobile‑first customer journeys.
- Guided manual transfers for customers who prefer traditional online banking.
- Open banking initiation where available, streamlining authentication and authorization.
This flexibility leads to:
- Higher checkout conversion, as customers can pay in the way that feels most natural to them.
- Fewer abandoned transactions, especially for customers who do not want to use cards or have reached card limits.
- Stronger trust, as customers recognize and rely on familiar bank transfer processes.
New Revenue Opportunities for PSPs and Acquirers
Beyond cost savings and conversion, the partnership unlocks fresh revenue potential across both consumer‑to‑business (C2B) and business‑to‑business (B2B) flows. PSPs and acquirers can:
- Monetize SEPA‑based payment volumes with attractive unit economics.
- Onboard new merchant segments that prefer A2A for operational or regulatory reasons.
- Expand into B2B, subscription and invoice‑driven models where SEPA transfers are particularly strong.
Because the integration is delivered via a white‑label model, PSPs and acquirers remain front and center in the merchant relationship while leveraging Yowpay’s specialized SEPA infrastructure behind the scenes.
Key SEPA Capabilities Unlocked by the Integration
The combined Yowpay–Akurateco offering delivers a rich SEPA feature set that is readily accessible to PSPs, acquirers and merchants. Among the most impactful capabilities are:
Business IBANs for Clear, Trackable Flows
Yowpay provides dedicated business IBANs at the merchant or even end‑customer level. This granular approach allows:
- Clear mapping of incoming payments to specific merchants, customers or use cases.
- Improved transparency for accounting, audit and compliance workflows.
- More efficient reconciliation with less manual intervention.
Multiple SEPA Initiation Channels
Different customer segments prefer different ways of paying by bank transfer. Yowpay covers this with a flexible set of initiation options:
- QR code payments that customers can scan to pre‑fill all transfer details, minimizing errors.
- Manual transfers for users who want to initiate payments from their usual online banking interface.
- Open banking initiation where available, providing a guided, API‑driven journey from checkout to bank approval.
This multi‑channel approach ensures that SEPA A2A remains accessible and convenient for a wide range of demographics, devices and contexts.
Automated Reconciliation and Reporting
One of the traditional pain points of bank transfer payments is reconciliation. Yowpay addresses this with automated reconciliation tools that match incoming SEPA transactions to orders, invoices and customers using structured references and smart rules.
For finance and operations teams, this translates into:
- Fewer manual matching tasks and lower operational overhead.
- Faster closing cycles and clearer cash visibility.
- Consistent reporting across SEPA and non‑SEPA payment methods through Akurateco’s centralized environment.
Modular SEPA API for Flexible Integration
Yowpay exposes its capabilities through a modular SEPA API, allowing PSPs and technology teams to adopt the components that best fit their architecture. Within Akurateco, this flexibility is channeled into a ready‑made, configurable module that can be adapted to different merchant models and workflows.
Non‑MoR Model with Direct Access to Funds
Crucially, Yowpay operates under a non‑Merchant‑of‑Record (non‑MoR) model. Merchants and PSPs retain direct access to their funds, rather than passing through a third‑party merchant of record. This setup helps:
- Improve cash flow predictability, as payouts are more closely aligned with settlement.
- Align with internal risk and compliance policies that favor direct banking relationships.
- Preserve commercial flexibility around pricing, fees and merchant contracts.
How Different Stakeholders Benefit
Benefits for PSPs and Payment Facilitators
For PSPs, the Yowpay–Akurateco integration is a fast track to a stronger, more diversified product portfolio:
- Launch SEPA A2A quickly without building in‑house SEPA infrastructure.
- Offer a full APM suite that aligns with European local preferences.
- Win new verticals such as B2B, high‑ticket retail, travel and subscriptions that value bank transfers.
- Increase stickiness by covering more of each merchant’s payment needs within one platform.
Benefits for Acquirers and Banks
Acquirers and banks can leverage the integration to unlock additional revenue streams and deepen their role in client payment strategies:
- Complement card acquiring with lower‑cost SEPA A2A flows.
- Capture more volume on their own bank rails, especially in euro‑denominated markets.
- Offer value‑added services such as advanced reconciliation and analytics around SEPA transactions.
Benefits for Enterprise and International Merchants
For merchants, the partnership brings a compelling set of benefits with minimal integration effort:
- Lower fees on euro transactions compared to many card flows.
- Higher conversion through locally preferred SEPA payment options.
- Improved cash flow thanks to faster settlements and better reconciliation.
- Streamlined operations through consolidated reporting inside their existing Akurateco‑based environment.
- Greater flexibility to serve both low‑risk and high‑risk customer segments.
Cards vs SEPA A2A via Yowpay–Akurateco: A Side‑by‑Side View
The table below summarizes how traditional card payments compare with SEPA account‑to‑account flows orchestrated via Yowpay within Akurateco.
| Aspect | Traditional Card Payments | SEPA A2A via Yowpay & Akurateco |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per transaction | Typically higher due to interchange and scheme fees | Lower, bank‑to‑bank pricing structure for euro payments |
| Settlement timing | Batch clearing, often multiple days | Real‑time compatible where SEPA Instant is supported |
| Customer familiarity in Europe | High, but not universal across all markets and segments | Very high, especially for B2B and invoice‑driven flows |
| Best suited for | Everyday consumer purchases, low to mid ticket | High‑ticket, recurring, B2B and bank‑preferred payments |
| Reconciliation | Integrated but fragmented across multiple acquirers | Automated, centralized via Yowpay and Akurateco |
Real‑World Use Cases for the Yowpay–Akurateco SEPA Layer
The integration is designed to support a wide variety of payment scenarios across Europe. Some standout use cases include:
- B2B invoicing: Companies can encourage clients to pay invoices via SEPA transfer, supported by automated reconciliation and dedicated IBANs.
- Subscription and membership models: Merchants can move recurring euro payments to SEPA, reducing card‑related churn and failures.
- High‑ticket e‑commerce and services: For items with higher basket sizes, SEPA A2A offers a trusted, fee‑efficient option.
- Travel, education and healthcare: Sectors where bank transfers are common can benefit from structured, automated SEPA flows.
- Marketplaces and platforms: PSPs and platforms can orchestrate incoming SEPA payments and allocate funds with clear reconciliation.
Across all these scenarios, the common thread is the ability to combine customer‑friendly payment experiences with operational efficiency and cost control.
A Future‑Ready Payment Stack for the Eurozone
European commerce is moving toward a world where card payments, SEPA transfers and open banking coexist in a unified, orchestrated environment. The partnership between Yowpay and Akurateco is built precisely for that reality.
Together, the two companies deliver a payment architecture tailored for:
- European merchants processing euro‑denominated payments who want lower fees and higher conversion.
- PSPs expanding their payment method portfolios with high‑demand, SEPA‑based APMs.
- Acquirers seeking additional revenue streams beyond traditional card acquiring.
- International merchants entering the EU payments market who need local payment options from day one.
The result is a modern, compliant and modular payment infrastructure that aligns with the evolving expectations of European consumers, regulators and businesses alike.
From Integration to Impact: What Activation Can Look Like
Because Yowpay is now natively integrated into Akurateco, activation for PSPs and acquirers is designed to be straightforward and scalable:
- Configuration inside Akurateco— Enable the Yowpay SEPA module as part of your APM offering.
- Merchant activation— Offer SEPA A2A as a new payment method to merchants, with dedicated IBANs and tailored initiation flows.
- Checkout optimization— Position SEPA options alongside cards and other APMs to maximize conversion.
- Monitoring and optimization— Use Akurateco’s analytics and Yowpay’s reporting to track performance, costs and acceptance rates.
From there, both payment providers and merchants can continuously fine‑tune their payment mixes to balance fees, risk, conversion and customer preference— with SEPA A2A as a powerful new lever.
Conclusion: A Stronger SEPA Foundation for European Payments
The strategic partnership between Yowpay and Akurateco is more than a technical integration. It is a deliberate step toward a more efficient, more flexible and more merchant‑friendly payment ecosystem in Europe.
By bringing a full SEPA A2A orchestration layer into Akurateco’s white‑label payment platform, the two companies enable PSPs, acquirers and merchants to:
- Activate managed SEPA transfers as a powerful alternative payment method.
- Build cost‑efficient, real‑time compatible euro payment flows.
- Boost conversion while reducing reliance on traditional card schemes.
- Improve cash flow and reconciliation with business IBANs and automation.
- Tap into new revenue opportunities across C2B and B2B payments.
For anyone operating in or entering the eurozone, this partnership offers a robust, future‑ready foundation to turn SEPA account‑to‑account payments into a competitive advantage.
