Volt and EPG launch real-time payments for paylado

Volt, the UK-based global real-time payments platform, has announced a strategic partnership with EPG Financial Services, a regulated e-money institution based in Germany. This collaboration will enable real-time open banking payments for EPG’s digital wallet solution, paylado, representing a major advancement in how users engage with e-wallet systems—especially within Germany’s regulated iGaming sector. The integration reflects the rapid transformation of European payment infrastructure, aiming to deliver faster, more secure, and user-friendly financial transactions.

This partnership is not merely a technical integration—it signifies a broader trend in the digitization of payments, regulatory alignment with the Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), and a push towards faster, more secure, and user-friendly transaction mechanisms. At the core of this development is a shared ambition to streamline how consumers fund and withdraw from their wallets, removing the friction traditionally associated with manual bank transfers and delayed settlements.

Background on paylado and the German payments landscape

EPG designed paylado as a user-focused digital wallet specifically aligned with the needs and preferences of consumers in the German market. Germany, despite its economic scale, has traditionally lagged behind some European peers in the adoption of real-time digital payment systems. Bank transfers remain a widely used method for online payments and e-wallet top-ups, often due to cultural preferences for direct account transactions and regulatory conservatism.

Payscale structures in Germany typically involve SEPA credit transfers or manual bank instructions, both of which can be slow, taking up to five business days to complete. These conventional payment options often suffer from user-side errors in reference fields or account numbers, leading to transaction reversals or delays—especially problematic in the context of iGaming, where rapid deposits and withdrawals are key to user satisfaction and regulatory compliance.

To counter these challenges and improve operational agility, EPG sought a partner with a robust open banking infrastructure and the technological expertise to deliver real-time, automated financial flows. Volt, known for its extensive API integrations and pan-European banking coverage, emerged as the preferred provider.

Why Volt was selected

A key factor in the decision was Volt’s capability to facilitate instant account-to-account (A2A) transactions using open banking APIs. The company has cultivated a reputation for deep bank connectivity in Germany and broader Europe, enabling seamless user experiences that align with the stringent operational needs of e-money institutions.

Specifically, Volt provides:

• Pre-populated, automated transactions within users' banking apps, eliminating input errors
• Instant settlement for both top-ups and payouts
• Real-time payment confirmations, critical for time-sensitive sectors such as iGaming
• Robust bank coverage across Europe, facilitating future expansion for EPG and paylado

Crucially, Volt also enables withdrawals back to users’ bank accounts, a feature often neglected in similar partnerships but considered vital by iGaming merchants for maintaining liquidity transparency and user trust.

Strategic implications for iGaming

Although the integration is framed around general e-wallet functionality, the iGaming context is particularly noteworthy. Germany’s regulatory framework for online gambling—reinforced by the 2021 Interstate Treaty on Gambling—mandates strict know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) protocols. Payment providers serving the iGaming sector must ensure not only speed and convenience but also traceability and compliance with these regulations.

By facilitating instant deposits and withdrawals, Volt supports regulatory traceability while improving the user experience. The real-time nature of these payments makes transaction monitoring more efficient, which is beneficial for both compliance teams and regulatory authorities. For iGaming operators working with paylado, this reduces operational overhead and improves their ability to respond to withdrawal requests swiftly—a key driver of customer retention in a competitive space.

Statements from leadership

In a formal statement, Rupert Kainzbauer, CEO of EPG Financial Services, emphasized the partnership’s alignment with their commitment to innovation and customer-centricity:

“We chose Volt because of its multiple connections to bank APIs, in addition to its broad geographic coverage. We have absolute confidence that this will translate into a superior customer experience for paylado users, who can now make top-ups and initiate payouts much faster. We look forward to exploring further use cases with Volt as the transformative power of open banking becomes more apparent.”

His comments reflect EPG’s intention not only to solve existing payment bottlenecks but also to position itself at the forefront of fintech innovation in regulated markets.

Anna Gladka, Volt’s Business Development Director, echoed this sentiment:

“We’re thrilled to go live with paylado. From the moment we began speaking with EPG Financial Services, it became clear how closely our product capabilities align with their needs – and, despite only recently going live, we’re already talking about further ways of working together. Above all, the partnership is further evidence of the strength of our network and the onward customer experience that it facilitates.”

Her remarks underscore Volt’s emphasis on long-term collaboration and bespoke integrations—a strategy that has earned the company several high-profile fintech partnerships across Europe.

The broader trend towards open banking

This partnership sits within a broader European trend towards open banking, enabled and accelerated by PSD2. Under this directive, financial institutions must share user-permitted data with third-party providers via secure APIs. This has spawned an ecosystem of account information service providers (AISPs) and payment initiation service providers (PISPs)—Volt being a prime example of the latter.

Open banking brings several benefits:

• Faster payment initiation
• Reduced transaction costs
• Greater transparency and control for users
• Increased competition and innovation in the payments space

Germany, while initially cautious, is now actively adopting open banking principles. The cooperation between Volt and EPG is indicative of a shift in regulatory and commercial attitudes, where real-time financial infrastructure is no longer a luxury but a business necessity.

Future roadmap and market implications

Although the current implementation of Volt’s services is focused on Germany, EPG has expressed interest in expanding paylado’s market footprint across Europe, leveraging Volt’s already-established banking relationships in countries such as the Netherlands, France, Spain, and the UK.

This expansion would provide a unified top-up and withdrawal experience across borders—a key requirement for any e-money platform operating in the multi-jurisdictional iGaming sector. Additionally, there is scope to integrate value-added services, including identity verification, transaction categorization, and embedded finance capabilities.

The partnership may also serve as a blueprint for other fintech firms looking to modernize their payment systems without building full-stack infrastructure in-house. As real-time payments become the industry standard, collaborations like this are expected to proliferate, especially in compliance-heavy industries such as gambling, insurance, and securities trading.

Legal and regulatory considerations

Given that both Volt and EPG are fully regulated entities—Volt as a PISP and EPG as an e-money institution—the partnership operates within a well-defined legal framework. All transactions are subject to EU AML directives, GDPR, and national regulatory oversight.

The inclusion of automated transaction data and user consent flows ensures that Volt’s API-driven payments comply with data protection and consumer rights legislation. Furthermore, the financial data shared between users and paylado via Volt is encrypted and handled according to the highest standards of operational security.

This legal compliance minimizes the risk of regulatory infractions and strengthens consumer trust—an essential factor when handling high-frequency, high-value payments.

Conclusion

The strategic partnership between Volt and EPG Financial Services marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing evolution of digital payments within the European fintech and iGaming landscape. By integrating Volt’s real-time open banking technology into paylado’s e-wallet infrastructure, EPG has taken a significant step towards modernizing its service offering—enhancing both the speed and reliability of financial transactions for end-users.

This collaboration addresses longstanding inefficiencies in Germany’s payment systems, such as delayed bank transfers and user input errors, and replaces them with seamless, automated account-to-account transactions. For iGaming merchants and their customers, the ability to process instant deposits and withdrawals is not only a matter of convenience but also a regulatory imperative, reinforcing trust and transparency in a sector under growing scrutiny.

The legal and technical robustness of both companies ensures that this integration operates within the highest standards of compliance, making it a model for future partnerships across regulated industries. As paylado looks to expand beyond the German market, Volt’s pan-European network and scalable infrastructure will play a key role in supporting its growth ambitions.

Ultimately, this partnership exemplifies how fintech innovation, when thoughtfully applied, can unlock measurable benefits for consumers, businesses, and regulators alike—streamlining operations while safeguarding integrity and trust in the financial system.

FAQs

What is Volt and what services does it provide?
Volt is a real-time payments platform that enables instant, secure bank transfers through open banking technology across multiple European countries.

Who is EPG Financial Services?
EPG is a regulated e-money institution in Germany offering electronic payment solutions, including the paylado e-wallet.

What is paylado?
Paylado is a digital wallet by EPG that allows users in Germany to top up via cash terminals or bank transfers, and use the funds to transact with iGaming merchants.

How does Volt improve paylado’s payment process?
Volt replaces manual bank transfers with automated, real-time payments through open banking, eliminating delays and user errors.

Why is this important for the iGaming industry?
iGaming platforms require fast, traceable, and secure transactions. Real-time payments improve customer experience and compliance efficiency.

Can users also withdraw funds with Volt-powered paylado?
Yes, users can initiate payouts from their paylado wallets directly back to their bank accounts using Volt’s infrastructure.

Is this integration limited to Germany?
While initially focused on Germany, the partnership aims to expand across Europe using Volt’s extensive banking network.

Is the solution compliant with EU regulations?
Yes, both Volt and EPG operate under strict EU financial regulations, including PSD2, AMLD, and GDPR.

Does this integration affect user data privacy?
No, user data is handled securely, and all transactions occur with the user’s consent, in compliance with European data protection laws.

What future developments can be expected from this partnership?
Future integrations may include cross-border capabilities, embedded finance features, and additional services for merchants and consumers.