Gijs Boudewijn has been elected as the new chair of the European Payments Council (EPC) by the general assembly, succeeding Javier Santamaría.
The general assembly of the EPC also elected a new vice-chair, Rita Camporeale, whose mandate takes effect immediately and will run until December 2026.
Gijs Boudewijn, incoming chair of the European Payments Council
Boudewijn will assume his new role at the EPC, which is a representative body of European payment service providers, in June 2025 for a two-year term, at which point Santamaría will stand down.
The EPC stated that, during the incoming chair’s tenure “significant changes are anticipated in the payments industry”.
Boudewijn has been general manager at the Dutch Payments Association since 2021 and recently announced his retirement, with effect from 30 May 2025. Arjan Bol has been appointed as his successor at the Dutch Payments Association, who will join on 1 April.
Santamaría has chaired the EPC since June 2012 and has been actively involved with the organisation since its founding in 2002.
“I am grateful for the years that I have had the privilege of leading the EPC and for the opportunity to contribute to its growth,” he said.
Boudewijn added: “I am honoured to have been elected as chair of the EPC and would like to thank the members for their trust and support.
“We are living in a time of significant change, with multiple factors driving transformation in the European payments landscape.
“I am excited to take on this new challenge together with the members and the EPC team as we continue to adapt and innovate in this evolving environment.”
The central role of the chair is to lead the EPC’s two main governance bodies – its board and general assembly – and to represent it externally, particularly in dialogues with European institutions and other stakeholders.
According to the EPC, the next six months will be a “transition period”, during which time there will be a smooth handover between Santamaría and Boudewijn, while ensuring there is continuity within the organisation.
Boudewijn recently discussed the SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) scheme on the Open Banking Expo Unplugged podcast, alongside Robert Sullivan, public policy and strategy director at Token.io, Ghela Boskovich, head of Europe at the Financial Data and Technology Association, and Louise Beaumont, senior vice president, global Open Banking and Open Finance, industry and policy engagement at Mastercard.
They discussed what needs to happen to encourage adoption of SPAA and how the success of SPAA will be measured – listen to the episode here.
