
Based in Brussels for the past 18 years, Monica is the founder and managing director of TrustEuAffairs. She is a member of the Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP) since 2004, and served as a member of the SEAP Board from 2012 to 2015. Monica is a member of the Europol Virtual Currencies Taskforce and also a member of the European Commission Payment Systems Market Expert Group (PSMEG). Monica has been Senior Manager for EU Regulatory Affairs in the Legal Department of Visa Europe for more than ten years, responsible for relations with the European Commission, Parliament and Council, as well as with various national regulators. Before joining Visa Europe she worked as a consultant for both Andersen, Deloitte & Touche and the OECD in Paris, as well as the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, dealing with a variety of financial services matters. Monica can be reached at: [email protected]
Articles by Monica Monaco

How to Unlock the Potential for Instant Payments?
On May 5, I attended the CEPS ECRI event on “How to unlock the potential for instant payments?” which covered the European Commission plans to create an integrated retail payment system for Europe.

A Digital Euro for the EU? The European Commission’s Call for an Impact Assessment
On April 5, 2022, the European Commission (EC) published a call for evidence for an impact assessment on a digital euro for the EU.

The EBA Discussion Paper: What Can We Learn About the Review of the PSD2 Content?
Preliminary Observations on Selected Payment Fraud Data Under PSD2 On January 17, 2022, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published a Discussion Paper on its preliminary observations on selected payment fraud data under the PSD2.

How is the World of Payments Changing and How Can EU Rules and Regulations Respond to These Changes? Insights from Commissioner McGuinness’ Speech
On the 16th of November 2021, Ms. Mairead McGuinness, Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, gave a speech in Brussels covering the changes taking place in the world of payments, how these might develop and how EU rules and regulations could respond to such changes.

Time for Review: What Is Next in the EU Retail Payment Services Legislation?
On October 27, I attended the CEPS ECRI event on “Time for review: EU retail payment services legislation,” which covered the achievements of Directive 2015/2366/EU (PSD2) and the next European policy steps in this regard. The panel was composed of Ms.

Instant Payments: What Developments Would the European Commission Like to See?
On September 2, the European Commission (EC) published a document concerning the current and foreseeable benefits of instant payments. The EC document explains that instant payments can be used for transfers between individuals Person-to-Person (P2P) or Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C), and between individuals and businesses (B2C and C2B).


The European Commission’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Terrorist Financing Legislative Package: A Move Towards a More Effective Enforcement of EU AML/CTF Rules?
On 20 July 2021, the European Commission published an anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing (AML/CTF) legislative package.

The European Commission’s Proposal for a New Consumer Credit Directive: Will This Create a Harmonized European Consumer Credit Market?
On June 30, the European Commission (EC) issued a proposal for a new Consumer Credit Directive (‘the Proposal’).

The European Commission’s Directive on Distance Marketing of Consumer Financial Services: What Does This Mean for the Industry?
On May 28 2021, the European Commission (EC) issued an Inception Impact Assessment on the Directive on Distance Marketing of Consumer Financial Services, which is out for public consultation until the June 25.

How the European Commission’s Review of the Settlement Finality Directive is Linked to the Development of Open Finance in Europe
On 12 February 2021, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the review of the Settlement Finality Directive (SFD), which closed earlier this month.

The European Commission’s Consultations on Instant Payments in the EU: What Are the Questions and Why You Should Reply
On 24 March 2021, the European Commission (EC) published its Consultation Strategy on Instant Payments in the EU. This initiative is a follow-up to the EC’s Retail Payments Strategy (RPS), which I covered in another post, and it wishes to promote the availability of competitive homegrown and pan–European payment solutions.

The European Commission Inception Impact Assessment on real-time payments in the EU: Is the real-time payments’ future a regulated one?
On March 10, 2021, the European Commission (EC) published an Inception Impact Assessment (IIA) on the Commission’s planned initiative on real-time payments in the EU. The IIA is open for feedback until April 7, 2021, and you can provide your contribution here.