# Zippay

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/zippay
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Zippay — official](https://www.zippay.ie/)

## Overview

**Zippay** is **Ireland's bank-consortium instant P2P-payment service**, launched **March 2026** by **Bank of Ireland, AIB and PTSB** — Ireland's three largest retail banks — providing **Zelle-like instant P2P payments via mobile number** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Ireland report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/IE)</sup>. Zippay enables users to **send money to another person using only their mobile number** + **send, request, and split payments instantly by selecting contacts in their phonebook who are also registered for the service**. **Daily transfer limit €1,000 + request limit €500 per transaction**.

The structural significance: Zippay launches with **expected reach to 5+ million eligible accounts** through Ireland's three major banks' existing mobile-banking apps + plans to **extend to all financial institutions providing IBAN account services + consumer banking app**. **Nexi partnership** — one of Europe's largest payment-technology companies — provides the underlying platform. The strategic goal is explicitly **competing with Revolut**, which has **~3 million Irish P2P users**. Zippay represents **Irish banking incumbents' coordinated response to fintech P2P-payment disruption** — similar to **Zelle US bank-consortium response to Venmo + Cash App**, **Swish SE bank-consortium response to PayPal/PingIt**, **Bizum ES bank-consortium response to PayPal**.

The **March 2026 phased rollout** + **in-banking-app integration model** + **Nexi technology platform** + **bank-consortium ownership** make Zippay structurally distinctive in Ireland's payment ecosystem. The **€1,000 daily + €500 per request limits** balance user-flexibility + fraud-protection considerations.

## History

**Background — Irish payment landscape** <sup>[Ireland report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/IE)</sup>:
- **Central Bank of Ireland (CBI)** — central bank.
- Major Irish banks: Bank of Ireland, AIB, Permanent TSB (PTSB).
- **Revolut Ireland** dominant P2P fintech (~3M Irish users).
- Ireland uses Euro + within SEPA framework.

**Pre-Zippay context** <sup>[3][3]</sup>:
- Revolut domination of Irish P2P payments.
- Irish banks losing P2P-payment share to fintechs.

**Bank of Ireland + AIB + PTSB Zippay announcement** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Coordinated bank-consortium response.

**Nexi technology partnership** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- European payment-technology platform.

**March 2026 — Phased rollout** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- In-banking-app integration.

**5M+ eligible accounts** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Combined customer-base reach.

**Plans to open to additional financial institutions** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- IBAN account services + consumer banking app providers.

## Technical specification

Zippay is **Bank of Ireland + AIB + PTSB consortium-operated instant P2P-payment via Nexi platform** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Operators** | **Bank of Ireland + AIB + PTSB** (consortium) |
| **Technology partner** | **Nexi** |
| **Country** | Ireland |
| **Currency** | EUR |
| **Launch** | **March 2026** (phased rollout) |
| **Identifier** | **Mobile number** |
| **Daily transfer limit** | €1,000 |
| **Per-request limit** | €500 |
| **Integration** | In-existing-banking-app |
| **Account-type** | IBAN-account-linked |
| **Future expansion** | To all IBAN-providing institutions with consumer banking app |
| **Reachable eligible accounts** | 5+ million |
| **Competitor** | **Revolut Ireland** (~3M users) |

## Use cases

**P2P transfers via mobile number** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal — instant.

**Send + request + split payments** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Comprehensive P2P-flow.

**Phonebook-contact-based addressing** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Modern UX.

**In-banking-app native integration** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: No separate app required.

**Coordinated response to Revolut competition** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: Strategic.

**Cross-bank universal access** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: All consortium banks.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Bank consortium**: **Bank of Ireland + AIB + PTSB**.

**Technology partner**: **Nexi**.

**Regulator**: **Central Bank of Ireland (CBI)**.

**Major competitor**: **Revolut Ireland**.

**Future expansion**: All IBAN-providing institutions with consumer banking app.

## Fun facts

- **March 2026 launch**: Recent Irish payment-modernisation milestone.
- **5+ million eligible accounts**: Combined Bank of Ireland + AIB + PTSB reach.
- **Nexi technology partnership**: One of Europe's largest payment-tech companies.
- **€1,000 daily / €500 per request limits**: Balanced fraud-protection + flexibility.
- **Bank-consortium response to Revolut**: Strategic + competitive positioning.
- **In-banking-app integration model**: No separate app required.
- **Mobile-number-as-identifier**: Standard modern UX.
- **Plans to open to additional institutions**: Future-expanding network.

## Comparison

| Feature | Zippay (IE) | Zelle (US) | Bizum (ES) | Swish (SE) | Revolut (IE major competitor) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operators | **Bank of Ireland + AIB + PTSB** | EWS (7 US bank consortium) | Spanish bank consortium | Swedish bank consortium | Revolut (independent fintech) |
| Type | **Bank-consortium P2P** | Bank-consortium P2P | Bank-consortium P2P | Bank-consortium P2P | Independent fintech |
| Launch | **March 2026** | 2017 | 2016 | 2012 | Available IE since 2018 |
| Technology partner | **Nexi** | EWS internal | Tech partners | Tech partners | Internal |
| Daily limit | **€1,000 / €500 per request** | Bank-specific | €1,000 default | SEK 30,000 | Varies |
| Reach | **5M+ eligible accounts (IE)** | 100M+ users US | 25M+ users ES | 8M+ users SE | 3M IE / 50M+ global |

## Status

**Active, recently launched** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **Bank of Ireland + AIB + PTSB consortium operators**.
- **Nexi technology partner**.
- **March 2026 phased rollout**.
- **5+ million eligible accounts**.
- **In-banking-app integration**.
- **Future expansion to additional IBAN-account-providing institutions**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.zippay.ie/ "Zippay — official"
[2]: https://thepaypers.com/payments/news/irish-mobile-payment-service-zippay-to-launch-in-early-2026 "Zippay early 2026 launch — The Paypers"
[3]: https://paymentexpert.com/2025/09/09/zippay-irish-banks-revolut-growth/ "Zippay × Revolut competition — Payment Expert"
[boi]: https://personalbanking.bankofireland.com/ways-to-bank/mobile-banking/zippay/ "Zippay — Bank of Ireland"
[rte]: https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0309/1562269-zippay-questions-answers/ "Zippay Q&A — RTE"

- [1] [Zippay — official][1]
- [2] [Zippay early 2026 launch — The Paypers][2]
- [3] [Zippay × Revolut competition — Payment Expert][3]
- [boi] [Zippay — Bank of Ireland][boi]
- [rte] [Zippay Q&A — RTE][rte]
- <sup>[Ireland report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/IE)</sup> `reports/countries/IE-ireland.md`

## Deployments

Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`):

- **IE** — [IE-ireland.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/IE)