The evolution of payment services and their reflection in European regulation

This article elaborates on the definition of payment services contained in the European Union (EU) regulation on the matter (PSD2) and then sets forth the various interpretative issues that have arisen in relation to these definitions in recent years. This is followed by a brief description of the new developments related to the identification of payment services introduced by the European Commission’s 2023 proposals for a new Payment Services Directive (PSD3) and a new Payment Services Regulation (PSR). Lastly, this article contains brief considerations on electronic money and on the electronic money services included in the PSD3 and PSR.