Brussels, 19 March 2026 – Elavon has signed a merchant acquirer and processor license agreement with Bancontact Company, the domestic payment scheme in Belgium with over 18 million Bancontact cards in circulation.
Elavon, one of Europe’s largest merchant acquirers, will now offer merchants throughout Belgium direct acquiring services for Bancontact transactions, in addition to continuing to support international card scheme transactions.
Elavon will begin supporting Bancontact card-present transactions from January 2026, followed soon after by card-not-present transactions, including both Ecommerce and Mcommerce transactions. Thanks to the agreement between the two companies, Elavon will be able to serve businesses and consumers with a broader choice of payment options in Belgium.
Hemlata Narasimhan, President, Elavon, says, “Enabling businesses to take fast, simple payments to meet the needs of their customers – and, ultimately, get paid themselves in an efficient manner – is critical to their growth. We are delighted that,as a result of this agreement, Bancontact Company will benefit from our resilient pan-EU platform, customer service and core payment capabilities. This will help our customers offer their customers a comprehensive suite of payment options in Belgium.”
Nathalie Vandepeute, CEO, Bancontact Company says, “Signing this agreement with Elavon marks a significant step in our ongoing commitment to enhancing the payment experience for both businesses and consumers in our Belgian market and beyond. By extending our partners network with a trusted global partner like Elavon, we are providing merchants and customers the possibility to pay with Bancontact, the local payment solution. This partnership will support the continued growth of digital payments across Belgium, ensuring that businesses of all sizes can offer their customers the convenience and security they expect."
Elavon continues to evolve its pan-European strategy by adding Bancontact to the list of payment schemes it offers, demonstrating its commitment to remain at the forefront of European payments. In Belgium, Elavon now provides acquiring services for Bancontact, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, China Union Pay, and JCB.
About Elavon
Elavon, a division of U.S. Bank, provides end-to-end payment processing solutions and services to more than 2 million customers in the United States, Europe, and Canada. As the leading provider for airlines and a top five provider in hospitality, healthcare, retail, and public sector/education, Elavon's innovative payment solutions are designed to solve pain points for the smallest businesses to the largest global enterprises.
Your information is processed in line with Elavon’s Data Privacy Notice.
U.S. Bank Europe DAC. Registered in Ireland – Number 418442.
Registered Office: Block F1, Cherrywood Business Park, Dublin 18, D18 W2X7, Ireland.
U.S. Bank Europe DAC, trading as Elavon Merchant Services, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
U.S. Bank Europe DAC. Registered in Ireland with Companies Registration Office. The liability of the member is limited. United Kingdom branch registered in England and Wales under the number BR022122. U.S. Bank Europe DAC, trading as Elavon Merchant Services, is a credit institution authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.
About Bancontact Company
Bancontact Company, formerly Bancontact Payconiq Company, is the benchmark for electronic payments in Belgium. Since its founding in 1979, the Bancontact network has consistently innovated to simplify daily life for consumers and merchants. From the 1995 "Proton" electronic wallet to the 2014 launch of QR code mobile payments, these milestones have established Belgium as a pioneer in Europe.
With the Bancontact Pay app, consumers can make easy and secure mobile payments in a wide variety of situations: among friends, in shops, online, in restaurants, at the doctor's office or at festivals. They can also use it to register loyalty cards, pay bills or split the bill. The app is available to customers of 17 banks on iOS and Android and has two million users.
The Bancontact card remains the benchmark in card payments. In 2025, the company recorded 1.9 billion payments, 1.4 billion of which were contactless. In total, the company recorded 2.6 billion payments in 2025, including 526 million mobile payments (+11.6%) and 393 million online payments using mobile payment solutions.
The company's mission: to continuously develop digital payment solutions and make them as “invisible” as possible, against the backdrop of a strong Belgian presence serving the prosperity of the local economy.
Media Contact
Atalia Dwyer
atalia.dwyer@usbank.com
Helping thousands of customers around the world grow their business through payments
Customer service and support
We’re here to help!
Customer service: 0345 850 0195
Telephone: Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Chat: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Opayo product support: 0191 313 0299
24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Copyright © 2026 | U.S. Bank Europe DAC. Registered in Ireland with Companies Registration Office. The liability of the member is limited. United Kingdom branch registered in England and Wales under the number BR022122.
U.S. Bank Europe DAC, trading as Elavon Merchant Services, is a credit institution authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.
Helping thousands of customers around the world grow their business through payments
Customer service and support
We’re here to help!
Customer service: 0345 850 0195
Telephone: Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Chat: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Opayo product support: 0191 313 0299
24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Copyright © 2026 | U.S. Bank Europe DAC. Registered in Ireland with Companies Registration Office. The liability of the member is limited. United Kingdom branch registered in England and Wales under the number BR022122.
U.S. Bank Europe DAC, trading as Elavon Merchant Services, is a credit institution authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.
Essential cookies enable core functionality such as page navigation and access to secure areas. The website cannot function properly without these cookies; they can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences. Please see our Cookie Policy for further information.
Performance cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage (for example, which of our pages are most frequently visited).
These cookies and similar technologies gather information about your browsing habits. They remember that you've visited a website and share this information with other organisations, such as advertisers and platforms on which we advertise. They do this in order to provide you with advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests. These cookies and similar technologies gather information about your browsing habits. They remember that you've visited a website and share this information with other organisations, such as advertisers and platforms on which we advertise. They do this in order to provide you with ads that are more relevant to you and your interests.
Find out more about cookies on https://www.allaboutcookies.org