Nexi – Comprehensive Payment Gateway & PayTech Solutions

Overview of Nexi

Nexi is a top European PayTech group based in Milan, Italy. It was created in 2017 when ICBPI merged with CartaSi. The company later grew rapidly by buying SIA and the Nordic Nets group, establishing itself as a significant player in digital payments across Europe.

Nexi serves banks, merchants, SMEs, and public administrations through three main business areas:

• Merchant Solutions – covering in-store, mobile, and online payment acceptance

• Issuing Solutions – enabling card issuance and digital wallets

• Digital Banking Solutions – providing clearing, instant payments, corporate banking, and account-to-account infrastructure

Nexi processes billions of transactions annually, supports tens of millions of payment cards, and connects hundreds of thousands of merchants across Europe.

1. Core Gateway Offering: XPay (Virtual POS / Payment Gateway)

1.1 Product Positioning

Nexi’s XPay is a modern, secure, and flexible payment gateway, also referred to as a virtual POS. It is designed to serve e-commerce and mobile commerce platforms, allowing merchants to accept a wide range of online payment methods with minimal integration effort. It supports international card payments and a growing number of alternative payment options.

1.2 Supported Payment Methods

XPay offers built-in support for a wide variety of payment methods, including:

• Cards: Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, V Pay

• Digital wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal (including Pay in 3 where available)

• Account-to-account methods: MyBank (Italy), Bancomat Pay (Italy), Giropay (Germany), iDEAL (Netherlands), Bancontact (Belgium)

This range of supported options makes Nexi suitable for businesses operating across Europe, providing localized checkout experiences for customers.

2. Multi-Channel Payment Acceptance Capabilities

2.1 In-Store & Mobile Point-of-Sale

In addition to online payments, Nexi offers comprehensive in-store solutions including SmartPOS terminals, mobile and cordless POS devices, and even Tap to Pay functionality via smartphones. In Italy, Nexi partnered with Apple to enable Tap to Pay on iPhones, allowing small merchants to accept contactless payments without needing external hardware.

2.2 Public Sector & Recurring Payments

Nexi also provides a tailored multi-channel gateway for public administrations, enabling recurring billing, remote payments, and seamless integration with Italy’s PagoPA platform. It supports API-based integrations, custom payment pages, and monitoring tools such as dashboards and reconciliation reports.

3. Digital Infrastructure & Clearing Capabilities

3.1 Instant Payments & Clearing Hub

Nexi’s Digital Payment Hub is a robust infrastructure solution for banks and payment service providers. It facilitates instant payments, SEPA credit and debit transactions, and request-to-pay flows. Available as a cloud-based or on-premise solution, it supports the full payment lifecycle—from initiation to reconciliation—through a multilingual and multi-channel interface.

3.2 ACH & Settlement Services

Through its clearing infrastructure, Nexi offers:

• Direct or indirect access to the Italian interbank network (RNI)

• SEPA ACH credit transfers and direct debits

• Cross-border settlement via systems such as TARGET2

• Bill payment and utility processing through online and ATM channels

3.3 Open Banking & Mastercard Partnership

In collaboration with Mastercard, Nexi is expanding access to account-based payments throughout Europe. This enables customers to pay directly from their bank accounts using strong customer authentication and biometric login methods. This open banking model offers a faster and more affordable alternative to traditional card-based payments.

4. Market Reach & Scale

4.1 Merchant Coverage

In Italy alone, Nexi serves more than 860,000 merchants, including over 18,000 e-commerce businesses that use the XPay gateway. Across its pan-European footprint, Nexi manages between 41 and 44 million issued payment cards and facilitates billions of transactions annually.

4.2 Geographic Footprint

Nexi is a dominant player in Italy and has rapidly expanded its presence across Europe following the acquisition of Nets and Concardis. It now operates extensively in the Nordics, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Poland, among other markets.

4.3 Financial Performance

Nexi reported annual revenue of approximately 3.5 billion euros in 2024, with strong growth in the merchant solutions segment, particularly in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Its expanding product suite and merchant base have helped it become the leading payment processor in Europe by volume.

5. Key Benefits for Merchants

5.1 Payment Method Diversity & Localization

XPay supports a broad range of both global and local payment methods, allowing merchants to provide a seamless payment experience for customers in different European markets.

5.2 Fast Settlement

Nexi provides quick settlement, with funds typically credited to merchants within 48 hours. This is an important benefit for small businesses that need faster access to working capital.

5.3 Simplified Integration

XPay is designed to integrate easily with major e-commerce platforms such as WordPress (WooCommerce), BigCommerce, and SAP Commerce Cloud. For developers and enterprises, Nexi provides a full suite of APIs and SDKs for custom integrations. Sensitive payment data is hosted by Nexi, minimizing PCI-DSS compliance burdens for merchants.

5.4 Security & Compliance

The Nexi platform includes 3D Secure, fraud detection, risk analysis, and sanctions screening. Its instant payments infrastructure is certified by the European Central Bank and meets high standards for security and traceability.

5.5 Flexible Deployment Options

The payment gateway is available both as a cloud-based service and as an on-premise solution. It supports modular deployment and can be extended with additional services such as analytics, document management, and advanced back-office tools.

6. Target Audiences & Ideal Use Cases

6.1 SMEs & E-Commerce Platforms

Small and mid-sized merchants benefit from Nexi’s easy onboarding, wide payment method support, and fast payouts. It is particularly suitable for European businesses selling online.

6.2 Public Institutions & Large Enterprises

Public sector organizations and large corporations can take advantage of Nexi’s advanced gateway features, including recurring billing, multi-channel support, and API-driven integration with internal systems.

6.3 Banks & Payment Service Providers

Financial institutions use Nexi’s digital infrastructure to access instant payment rails, SEPA clearing, and settlement systems. Nexi’s role as an intermediary in clearing networks provides efficient, scalable access to Europe’s payments ecosystem.

7. Strategic Partnerships & Innovation Highlights

• Apple Tap to Pay: Nexi was among the first European providers to support Tap to Pay on iPhone, eliminating the need for physical terminals.

• Mastercard Open Banking: Enables account-to-account payments across Europe, reducing reliance on cards and offering lower fees.

• European Payments Initiative (Wero): Nexi is a certified acquirer for Wero, the new pan-European digital wallet.

Conclusion

Nexi is a reliable payment gateway provider that offers more than just payment acceptance. Its full range includes card and wallet processing, account-to-account payments, clearing infrastructure, and solutions for the public sector.