Wirex, the global stablecoin payments platform and principal member of Visa and Mastercard, has released a new whitepaper on ‘Status of Digital Payments: Italy and Europe under MiCAR’, forecasting that euro-denominated stablecoins and agentic payments will reshape the continent’s financial landscape under the EU’s new MiCAR regulatory era.
The report outlines how stablecoin-native neobanks could emerge as the next generation of digital finance, combining the programmability of cryptocurrency with the trust of regulated payments.
“The world has moved from mobile banking to programmable money,” said Pavel Matveev, co-founder of Wirex. “Stablecoins are not just a crypto use-case anymore — they’re the backbone of a new financial stack where payments become intelligent, self-executing, and borderless.”
The report predicts the emergence of a new banking model — stablecoin-native challenger banks — that combine non-custodial wallets, on-chain settlement, and Visa-linked cards, allowing users to spend stablecoins directly with instant fiat conversion and embedded yield.
Wirex co-founder Dmitry Lazarichev explained that the implementation of MiCAR “marks the beginning of a new chapter for digital finance” in Europe.
“It lays the foundation for innovation grounded in accountability, ensuring that progress in this sector benefits both the market and its participants,” stated Lazarichev.
This hybrid model, Wirex argues, will power ‘Banking 3.0’: programmable accounts capable of automated bill payments, yield allocation, and smart subscription management, all secured by blockchain rails.
“The next decade won’t be defined by banks versus crypto, but by collaboration,” said Alessandro Bruno-Bossio, Regional Managing Director Italy & Chief Customer Strategy & Retention Officer at Wirex. “Europe has a unique opportunity to lead in stablecoin innovation — turning regulatory clarity into global competitiveness.”
“Italy is proving that compliance and innovation can thrive together,” added Bruno-Bossio. “By embedding MiCAR principles into every product layer — from onboarding to payments — we’re building a blueprint for how stablecoin-native banks can operate safely, transparently, and at scale across Europe.”
