White labelling widely used in banking & payments, reports EBA

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has published a new Report on white labelling — a business model where a financial institution partners with another company (sometimes not even a financial firm) to offer financial products and services under the partner’s brand.

The EBA found that over one-third (35%) of banks surveyed in 2025 use white-labelling. This trend is driven by digitalisation and platform-based business models, which make it easier for non-financial companies — such as online marketplaces — to offer financial services in collaboration with regulated institutions.

Key findings

The report outlines the main features, use cases, opportunities, and risks of white-labelling:

• Opportunities: broader access to financial services and increased innovation.
• Risks for consumers: less clarity about who is responsible for the product, which may increase confusion or exposure to fraud.
• Risks for supervisors: limited oversight of some non-regulated partners.

Next steps

To address these challenges, the EBA will take supervisory actions in 2026, focusing on:

• Raising supervisory awareness — white labelling will become part of national authorities’ supervisory priorities
• Improving consumer disclosures — ensuring customers know who they are dealing with and how to make complaints.

The report highlights the need for greater supervisory convergence and clearer communication to protect consumers while supporting innovation in financial services.