Electronic Money Association

What Electronic Money Association does

The Electronic Money Association (EMA), founded in 2001, is the European trade body representing electronic money issuers, payment institutions, open banking providers and crypto-asset service providers across the EEA and UK. It is a member-governed not-for-profit association that delivers regulatory intelligence, industry representation and compliance support to over 90 member firms including PayPal, Stripe, Amazon, American Express, Wise, Revolut, Coinbase, Kraken, Circle and Airbnb. The association monetizes through annual membership dues (undisclosed publicly), paid training programs (Consumer Duty Training at £750+VAT per firm, Board Report Sessions at £400 ex VAT) and ticketed conferences (annual EU Conference in Brussels, plus Ireland, Luxembourg and Baltic regional events).

Its operations span a small secretariat of 1-10 staff across offices in Surbiton (UK headquarters), Brussels (EU office) and Berlin (registered association under German law). It maintains wholly-owned local branches in Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands, plus a UK chapter and a Middle East meeting group, for local-level regulator engagement. The EMA holds formal seats on the European Payments Council Board, Euro Retail Payments Board, EU Commission Payment Services Market Experts Group, ECB Digital Euro Scheme Rulebook Development Group, EBA Expert Groups, UK Open Banking Steering Group and UK JMLSG — providing members a direct channel into standards- and rule-setting bodies.

Product surface is organized around: (i) monthly regulatory round-up calls and weekly newsletters; (ii) working groups covering AML, fraud, APP scams, open finance, cryptoassets, CBDCs, Digital Operational Resilience (DORA), CESOP, safeguarding and artificial intelligence; (iii) a document repository of briefings and jurisdiction comparison tables; (iv) paid compliance training; and (v) conferences and ad-hoc working groups. Underlying delivery is meetings-based and content-driven rather than software-based — there is no proprietary platform, no API and no disclosed proprietary technology stack. Leadership is anchored by founder/CEO Dr Thaer Sabri (25+ years in e-money industry, solicitor in England and Wales), Chairman John Fernandez (Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, Banked), Director of Policy & Operations Judith Crawford (20+ years EU financial services regulation) and Director of EU Public Policy Pia Sorvillo, with a dedicated Head of Fraud Policy (Morgane Laigo).

Name

Electronic Money Association

Legal name

Electronic Money Association

Website

https://e-ma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Electronic Money Association (EMA) is the European trade body, founded in 2001, representing over 90 e-money issuers, payment institutions, open banking providers and crypto-asset firms across the EEA and UK. It delivers regulatory intelligence, formal seats on EU and UK standards bodies, paid compliance training and annual conferences funded by membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association — E-money & Payments

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Fintech & Payments Partner / ISO Referral Networks (FSAEAMAK)

Keywords

• Trade association services
• Regulatory compliance support
• Industry advocacy representation
• Payments policy membership
• E-money issuer services

Headquarters

HQ city

Surbiton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The EMA generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees from e-money issuers and payment service providers. Members gain access to monthly regulatory round-up calls, weekly newsletters, all EMA member meetings, working group meetings, subcommittee meetings, ad-hoc training sessions, compliance support resources, and document repositories.
2. Training Sessions: The EMA offers paid training programs such as Consumer Duty Training at £750 + VAT per firm for EMA members. Additional compliance support sessions and board report training sessions are offered at £400 ex VAT per member firm.
3. Conference Revenue: The EMA organizes annual conferences (EU Conference, Ireland Conference, Luxembourg 25th Anniversary Conference) with ticket sales for attendance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Electronic Money Association is a trade body that sells annual membership to e-money issuers, payment institutions, and adjacent fintechs, granting access to monthly regulatory round-up calls, weekly newsletters, member meetings, working groups, subcommittees, compliance training, a document repository, and direct engagement with EU and UK regulators. Beyond membership dues, the association sells paid training programmes (Consumer Duty Training, DORA Implementation Working Groups) and ticketed conferences (EMA EU Conference, regional branch conferences) to member and non-member attendees.

Product overview

The Electronic Money Association is a trade body (not a technology product company) offering a unified membership service for e-money issuers and payment institutions. The core offering combines regulatory intelligence sharing through monthly calls and weekly newsletters, access to industry meetings and working groups, and practical compliance support. Key components include EMA Compliance Support for regulatory implementation, a document repository of briefings and jurisdiction guides, local branch networks across six EU countries, and annual conferences. The association serves as a forum for industry collaboration, regulatory representation, and knowledge sharing rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EMA Membership Annual trade-body membership for e-money issuers, payment institutions, and adjacent fintechs across the EEA, granting access to monthly regulatory round-up calls, weekly tailored regulatory newsletters, all EMA member meetings (Surbiton and Brussels hybrid format), working group and subcommittee meetings, ad-hoc training sessions, compliance support, and a member-only document repository. Members can engage directly with regulators, law enforcement, and consumer representatives.
• EMA Training Programmes (Consumer Duty Training, Board Report Sessions, DORA Implementation Working Group) Paid training offerings targeted at EMA member firms covering UK Consumer Duty (annual programme at £750 + VAT per firm with unlimited staff attendance), Consumer Duty Board Report Session + Template (£400 ex VAT per firm, includes training, Q&A, template/example board report, and recording), and the 8-session DORA Implementation Working Group for e-money and payment service providers with compliance documents, checklists, and templates.
• EMA Conferences and Events (EU Conference, Ireland Conference, Luxembourg 25th Anniversary Conference, partner summits) Ticketed industry conferences organised by the EMA including the annual EU Conference in Brussels (e.g. 2025 themed 'Innovate, Compete, Succeed: The Future of Digital Payments'), the EMA Ireland Conference 2026 in Dublin (timed to Ireland's EU Presidency, May 2026), the EMA Luxembourg 25th Anniversary Conference (April 2026), and supporting partnerships with the Baltic Payment Forum (Vilnius, 3 March 2026) and the Payments Regulation and Innovation Summit (London). Speakers include FCA/PSR, Bank of England, ECB, EU Commission, and senior industry executives from PayPal Europe, Stripe, Wise, Coinbase, Kraken, GoCardless, and Monerium.

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and regional.

• Baltic Payment ForumstrategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 March 2026The EMA is supporting the Baltic Payment Forum in Vilnius, Lithuania (March 3, 2026). EMA's Director of Policy Judith Crawford will speak on Regulatory change 2026 impact on EU fintech sector. Forum brings 300+ C-level executives from 30+ countries.
• European Payments Council BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA holds a formal seat on the European Payments Council Board, governing SEPA schemes and payment infrastructure standards across Europe. This provides direct input into payment scheme rules and standards development.
• Euro Retail Payments Board (ERPB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA participates in the ERPB which governs SEPA payment schemes and retail payment market developments across the EU.
• EU Commission Payment Services Market Experts GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA advises the European Commission on payment services policy through this expert group, influencing PSD3/PSR and other payment regulations.
• ECB Digital Euro Scheme Rulebook Development GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA contributes to the development of the digital euro scheme rulebook through this group, representing e-money issuer perspectives on CBDC implementation.
• EBA Expert Group on the Fund Transfer Regulation and CryptoassetscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA participates in EBA expert groups contributing to implementation of Fund Transfer Regulation and cryptoasset regulatory frameworks.
• UK Open Banking Steering GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA participates in UK Open Banking governance, representing e-money and payment service provider interests in the UK's open banking ecosystem.
• UK Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA is a member of the JMLSG which develops guidance for anti-money laundering compliance in the UK financial services sector.
• Central Bank of Ireland Financial Services ForumregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA engages with the Central Bank of Ireland through this forum on policy matters impacting the e-money and payments sector in Ireland.
• Bank of Lithuania Payments CouncilregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EMA's Lithuania branch engages with the Bank of Lithuania through this council on payment services regulation and innovation.
• Payments Regulation and Innovation SummitstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerThe EMA supports this annual summit in London with David Geale (FCA/PSR), Sarah Breeden (Bank of England), and industry leaders speaking. EMA CEO Dr Thaer Sabri participates in panels.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UK Finance: The leading UK trade association for the financial services sector, covering retail and wholesale banks as well as payments. Comparable as a UK-headquartered industry body with regulatory engagement, working groups, and member events, though broader in scope than EMA.
• European Banking Federation (EBF): Brussels-based umbrella association for the European banking sector. Comparable in operating EU-level advocacy and policy engagement across financial services, though it covers banks broadly rather than e-money and payment institutions specifically.

Direct peers

• The Payments Association: UK-headquartered payments industry trade body representing payment services and fintech firms. Highly comparable to EMA in mission (industry representation, regulatory engagement, member events) and overlapping geographic and member base across payments and e-money.
• Electronic Transactions Association (ETA): US-based trade association for the payments industry, covering payments companies, fintechs, and financial services. Closest international peer to EMA in operating model (membership dues, advocacy, events, working groups) for the payments sector.
• Prepaid International Forum (PIF): Industry forum for the global prepaid and stored value sector. Comparable to EMA's e-money and prepaid-focused membership base and its emphasis on regulatory engagement across multiple European jurisdictions.
• European Payment Institutions Federation (EPIF): Brussels-based trade association representing payment institutions across the EU. Directly comparable to EMA in serving the same PSD-regulated payment institution segment with EU-level regulatory advocacy and member services.
• Innovative Payments Association (IPA): US trade association focused on prepaid and innovative payment products. Comparable to EMA in representing a niche subset of payments providers (e-money / prepaid) and engaging with regulators on consumer protection and program compliance.

Regional players

• Finance Denmark: Danish trade association for banks, mortgage institutions, and payments providers. Comparable to EMA's regional branch model in engaging with national regulators (Finanstilsynet) on payments and digital financial services policy.
• Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI): Irish banking and payments industry federation representing retail banks, payments, and fintechs operating in Ireland. Comparable to EMA's Ireland branch as a national-level industry body engaging with the Central Bank of Ireland on payments policy.

Others

• International Association of Money Transfer Networks: Industry association focused on cross-border money transfer and remittance providers. Adjacent peer reflecting the broader ecosystem of payments industry trade bodies that EMA interfaces with on cross-cutting remittance, AML, and consumer protection issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EMoneyAssoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Electronic Money Association