girocard
girocard is Germany's leading domestic debit card payment system, operated by EURO Kartensysteme GmbH on behalf of Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft. It serves approximately 100 million cardholders across ~1.3 million POS terminals and ~50,000 ATMs, processing over 7.9 billion transactions annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersFrankfurt, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What girocard does
girocard is Germany's leading domestic debit card payment system, owned by Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft (the collective body of German banking associations including DSGV, BdB, BVR, DSZ, and VÖB) and operationally managed by EURO Kartensysteme GmbH, a private GmbH joint venture of the German banking industry headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The system comprises approximately 100 million cards in circulation, around 1.3 million POS terminals, and approximately 50,000 ATMs nationwide, processing more than 7.9 billion transactions annually and holding roughly 50% market share in stationary retail payments.
The technical core is an EMV chip-based debit platform with NFC contactless capability, running on the SECCOS (Secure Chip Card Operating System) multi-application chip-card platform introduced in 2005 and licensed free of charge to manufacturers. The feature surface spans girocard am POS (contact and contactless), Digital girocard (Apple Pay, Google Pay, and banking-app wallets), Altersverifikation (integrated age verification used at 95% of tobacco vending machines), Vorautorisierung (pre-authorization for hotel, car rental, and vacation bookings), Offline-Zahlung, Trinkgeldfunktion, In-App Payments (for merchant mobile apps), Kundenbindungsprogramme (loyalty integration with Payback and Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe), and Sensory Branding (branded audio-visual confirmation). Co-branding with Maestro, VPay, and JCB provides international acceptance. Cleared via SEPA Card Clearing (SCC) since end of 2015, the scheme migrated to exclusive EMV chip processing in February 2013 and was rebranded from ec-Karte to girocard in 2007.
The business model operates as a two-sided network with revenue from interchange/transaction fees paid by merchants (average ~0.60% of turnover per the 2025 ibi research study, with volume tiers of 0.19-0.31% per the Steinbeis-Hochschule study, legally capped at 0.2% for debit cards) and scheme/network fees paid by issuing and acquiring financial institutions. Consumer-side distribution flows through Sparkassen, Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Postbank, DKB, and other German banks, plus Apple Pay, Google Pay, and banking apps. Merchant-side acceptance is enabled through a network of Netzbetreiber (Cash4Less, TeleCash/Worldline, PAYONE, epay, Verifone, Elavon, Paymenttools, Sparkassen-Händlerservice). The company is not independently funded; it is sustained by the cooperative framework of the German banking associations and uses EURO Kartensysteme as its scheme-management vehicle.
girocard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- girocard
- Legal name
- EURO Kartensysteme GmbH
- Website
- https://girocard.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- girocard is Germany's leading domestic debit card payment system, operated by EURO Kartensysteme GmbH on behalf of Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft. It serves approximately 100 million cardholders across ~1.3 million POS terminals and ~50,000 ATMs, processing over 7.9 billion transactions annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
girocard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Debit Card Payment Network
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial & Corporate Card Schemes (FSAMAAAF)
Keywords
Where girocard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frankfurt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
girocard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Interchange/Transaction Fees from Merchants: Merchants pay interchange fees for each girocard transaction. The girocard achieves the lowest cost per transaction among all cashless payment methods in Germany at approximately 0.60% of turnover (according to ibi research 2025 study), compared to 1.24% for international debit cards and 1.53% for credit cards. Merchant discount rates range from 0.19-0.31% depending on volume.
- Scheme/Network Fees from Financial Institutions: Banks and Sparkassen pay scheme fees to participate in the girocard system. Issuing and acquiring fees contribute to the revenue model. The girocard system represents an important revenue pillar in the card business for German credit institutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Per transaction | Standard merchant acceptance rate |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Per transaction | Volume-based merchant fee tiers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
girocard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
girocard is Germany's domestic debit card payment system operated by Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft and managed by EURO Kartensysteme GmbH. It enables electronic payments at roughly 1.3 million POS terminals, cash withdrawals at around 50,000 ATMs, and digital/mobile payments via smartphone wallets. The scheme issues approximately 100 million cards and processed over 7.9 billion transactions in 2024, holding roughly 50% of stationary retail transaction market share in Germany.
Product overview
girocard is Germany's leading debit card payment system, operated by the Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft (German Banking Industry Committee) and managed by EURO Kartensysteme GmbH as scheme manager. The ecosystem centers on the physical girocard debit card (featuring chip, PIN, and NFC contactless functionality) and the digital girocard for smartphone/smartwatch wallets. The system encompasses multiple complementary features: girocard am POS for retail payments, Altersverifikation for age-restricted sales, Kundenbindungsprogramme for loyalty integration, Mobile Payment for digital wallets, Vorautorisierung for pre-authorization holds, In-App-Zahlungen for merchant app payments, Sensory Branding for multisensory brand experience, and Omnichannel for cross-channel transactions. Supporting services include the Geldautomatenfinder for ATM location and girocard sperren for card security. International acceptance is enabled through co-branding partnerships (Maestro, VPay, JCB). The system processed approximately 7.9 billion transactions in 2024 across ~1.3 million terminals with ~100 million cards in circulation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- girocard (debit card payment system)
- Digitale girocard (Digital girocard mobile payment)
- In-App-Zahlungen (In-App Payments)
- Geldautomatenfinder (ATM Locator)
- girocard sperren (Card Blocking Service)
- girocard im Ausland (International Acceptance via Co-branding)
- Sensory Branding
- Omnichannel girocard acceptance
Quantifiable outcome
- 0.60% average transaction cost vs 1.24-1.53% for international cards
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use girocard
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
girocard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature8 records
girocard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.
- PaybackstrategicLeading German loyalty program integrated into girocard payment process. Enables automatic bonus point collection during payment without separate card scan. First loyalty program integration with girocard.
- Sparkassen-FinanzgruppestrategicSparkassen banking group offering girocard with integrated loyalty functionality. Major issuer of girocards in Germany with significant consumer reach.
- BDTA (Bundesverband Deutscher Tabakwaren-Großhändler und Automatenaufsteller e.V.)strategicPartnership to pilot online age verification at tobacco vending machines. Started June 2023 with 180 machines in South and West Germany. Plans for nationwide rollout to all tobacco vending machines by end of 2027.
- Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft (DK)coreDeutsche Kreditwirtschaft is the collective body of German banking associations (DSGV, BdB, BVR, DSZ, VÖB) that owns and governs the girocard system. DK sets strategic direction, rules, and standards for the payment system. EURO Kartensysteme operates as scheme manager on behalf of DK.
- EURO Kartensysteme GmbHcoreJoint venture of German credit institutions serving as operational scheme manager for girocard. Responsible for technology development, marketing, security management, certification support, and Mastercard license administration. Managed by Oliver Hommel (CEO) and Susanne Raupbach.
- Cash4LessminorPayment service provider offering terminal solutions and acquiring services for girocard acceptance.
- TeleCash (Worldline)minorPayment service provider offering terminal solutions and acquiring services for girocard acceptance.
- PAYONEminorPayment service provider offering terminal solutions and acquiring services for girocard acceptance.
- epayminorPayment service provider offering terminal solutions and acquiring services for girocard acceptance.
- VerifoneminorTerminal hardware manufacturer providing POS terminals that support girocard acceptance.
- ElavonminorPayment service provider offering terminal solutions and acquiring services for girocard acceptance.
- Sparkassen-HändlerserviceminorTerminal and acquiring services offered by Sparkassen organization for merchants accepting girocard.
- nexo AISBLstrategicEuropean standardization organization for card payments. girocard participates in nexo initiatives for terminal management, acquirer-retailer protocols, and interoperability standards. Enables simplified certification and cross-border acceptance.
- Common.SECC (Common Security Evaluation & Certification Consortium)strategicJoint initiative of UK Finance and Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft for POS terminal security certification using Common Criteria methodology. Enables mutual recognition of security evaluations between UK and German markets.
- CFCF (Common Functional Certification Framework)strategicJoint certification framework of Cartes Bancaires (France) and Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft for functional certification of POS terminals. Enables one-stop certification for French and German markets, representing over 2 million terminals.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
girocard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PagoBANCOMAT: Italy's primary domestic debit card scheme used at POS and ATMs. Operates on an identical model to girocard as a bank-driven national scheme providing debit acceptance across Italian retailers.
- Bancontact: Belgium's leading domestic debit payment system, owned by the Belgian banking sector. Directly comparable to girocard as a domestic debit-only payment scheme with multi-bank issuance and broad retail acceptance.
- Dankort: Denmark's national debit card scheme. Closely mirrors girocard's model as a single-country, bank-issued domestic debit scheme enabling POS and online payments for Danish consumers.
- Cartes Bancaires: France's national debit/credit card scheme operated under Groupement des Cartes Bancaires. Direct peer to girocard: similar bank-association-owned domestic scheme, comparable role in merchant acceptance and member-bank issuance.
- Multibanco (SIBS): Portugal's domestic interbank payment network for POS, ATM, and online payments. Comparable to girocard as a national, bank-association-backed scheme operating a multi-channel payment rail.
Regional players
- TWINT: Switzerland's leading mobile payment system, sponsored by major Swiss banks. Comparable as a regional, bank-aligned payment rail serving a single national market with broad retail and P2P acceptance.
- V Pay: Visa's European debit card product, frequently co-branded onto girocard for international acceptance. Comparable regional debit network operating across Europe with cross-border POS/ATM reach.
Emerging players
- Wero (European Payments Initiative): New EU-wide wallet/A2A payment system being developed by a consortium of European banks, including DK members. Emerging peer to girocard with a different transaction model that could compete for the same POS volume.
Broad incumbents
- Mastercard: Global card network. Comparable broad incumbent whose Maestro debit network is co-branded onto girocard for international acceptance; competes for the same merchant acceptance and consumer payment volume.
- Visa: Global card network issuing debit and credit products. Competes broadly with girocard via its V Pay debit product and co-branding arrangements, while also operating outside the domestic-only scheme niche.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
girocard social profiles
Digital presencegirocard compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
girocard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
girocard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
girocard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
girocard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about girocard
What does girocard do?
girocard is Germany's domestic debit card payment system operated by Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft and managed by EURO Kartensysteme GmbH. It enables electronic payments at roughly 1.3 million POS terminals, cash withdrawals at around 50,000 ATMs, and digital/mobile payments via smartphone wallets. The scheme issues approximately 100 million cards and processed over 7.9 billion transactions in 2024, holding roughly 50% of stationary retail transaction market share in Germany.
Is girocard a public or private company?
girocard is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was girocard founded?
girocard was founded in 1976. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is girocard based?
girocard is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does girocard make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Interchange/Transaction Fees from Merchants are the primary driver. The others are scheme/Network Fees from Financial Institutions.
Who are girocard's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PagoBANCOMAT, Bancontact, Dankort, Cartes Bancaires and Multibanco (SIBS). Regional players are TWINT and V Pay. Wero (European Payments Initiative) is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Mastercard and Visa.
Does girocard have an API?
No public API is recorded for girocard.
What industry is girocard in?
girocard's product category is Debit Card Payment Network. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAAAF, Commercial & Corporate Card Schemes. Its SIC code is 6159.