What is e-QR?
e-QR defines a pan-European, interoperable A2A payment initiation specification for SEPA Instant Credit Transfers (SCT Inst), independent of the transport mechanism.
This specification defines consistent A2A payment initiation across supported carriers (e.g. QR, NFC, deep links), while preserving bank-to-bank settlement on SCT Inst rails.
The standard provides:
- Unified payment initiation data model
- Verified Merchant Registry (merchant identity and IBAN binding)
- Harmonised consumer initiation flow across participating applications
- Versioned, publicly governed specification lifecycle
e-QR is not a payment system. It is an interoperability and governance layer for SCT Inst payment initiation. Execution, authentication, compliance, and risk controls remain with regulated PSPs.
Design objectives
- Low-cost merchant acceptance without proprietary terminals or scheme fees
- One QR works across all participating PSPs
- Verified merchant identity improves trust and reduces fraud
- Supports EU objectives for instant payments and reduced card dependence
Key Documents
Whitepaper v1.1 (Non-normative)
Architecture, governance, scope, and implementation roadmap
Condensed Summary v1.1 (Non-normative)
Executive overview of the e-QR framework and its objectives
Technical Specification v0.1 (Draft, Non-normative)
QR model, Registry, PSP rules
Stakeholders
The specification is designed for use by banks, PSPs, merchants, acceptance solution providers, and regulators.