To bring SEPA for Cards to fruition, it is necessary to surmount these obstacles, as national card schemes are at risk of extinction, and competition might decrease to a duopoly of international schemes with similar business models. Again, discussion of these obstacles should not divert attention away from the great benefits that SEPA for Cards will bring to banks, merchants and cardholders.
Better security standards, more choice and higher acceptance levels will be an incentive to increase card usage which, in turn, also has the potential to lower cash usage, which can be quite costly for banks and for society as a whole. Who drives SEPA?