Australia vs Euro Area · Real-time payment systems compared
| Capability | NPP | SEPA Instant |
|---|---|---|
| QR Code Payments | — | — |
| Wallet Support | — | — |
| 24/7 Availability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-Border | — | ✓ |
| ISO 20022 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Request to Pay | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open API | ✓ | ◐ |
| Alias/Proxy | ✓ | ◐ |
Australia's New Payments Platform is a real-time clearing and settlement infrastructure with the Osko overlay service for consumer-facing instant transfers. PayID lets users receive money via phone number, email, or ABN instead of BSB/account numbers. Built on ISO 20022 messaging from day one, NPP supports rich data payloads and is governed by NPPA with 100+ participating financial institutions. Note: NPP data includes all overlay services (Osko, PayTo, and other mandated payment services) — not just real-time consumer transfers.
Pan-European instant credit transfer scheme enabling payments across 36 SEPA countries in under 10 seconds, 24/7/365. Transactions clear through the ECB's TIPS platform or EBA Clearing's RT1 system, with a maximum amount of €100,000. The EU's Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) mandates all eurozone banks to offer SCT Inst by 2025, dramatically expanding reach. Built on ISO 20022, it represents the largest cross-border instant payment zone in the world by number of participating countries. Wero, the digital wallet launched by the European Payments Initiative (EPI) in 2024, runs on SCT Inst rails — Wero transactions are included in these figures.