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ITALY SERBIA

CBI, EBA CLEARING and Nexi have signed a partnership agreement to enable the transmission of“ request to pay” messages between citizens and public administrations in Italy.

This collaboration makes the practical use of request to pay possible through the CBI Globe infrastructure, EBA CLEARING’ s R2P Service and Nexi’ s technology.

Following its recent € 1.3 billion refinancing, EXA Infrastructure has signed an agreement to acquire all long-haul duct assets of Conexio doo Beograd( Conexio) – a leading provider of dark fibre and colocation services across Serbia. This transaction further strengthens EXA Infrastructure’ s strategic footprint in the Balkans, reinforcing its position as the region’ s most reliable provider of modern digital infrastructure.

Payments to public administrations represent the first Italian use case of this innovation, tested in 2025, paving the way for additional national and cross-border applications.

“ Offering citizens the ability to receive electronic payment notifications from the public administration via their online banking and mobile apps – and pay securely and intuitively – is an important milestone in the evolution of digital payments,” said Liliana Fratini Passi, Managing Director, CBI.

“ Through request to pay and our collaboration with EBA CLEARING and Nexi, we have built a digital service highway based on pan- European rules, ISO 20022 standards, and real-time messaging.”

Hays Littlejohn, CEO, EBA CLEARING, said:“ Partnering with CBI and its network of PSPs unlocks the benefits of request to pay for citizens and enables Italian providers to develop further use cases at both national and SEPA levels.”

Renato Martini, Digital Banking Solutions Director, Nexi Group, said:“ This initiative aligns perfectly with our mission to advance digital payments. Thanks to our technology and collaboration with CBI and EBA CLEARING, citizens and administrations will enjoy a convenient, secure and innovative service.”

Steve Roberts, Senior Vice President of Strategic Investments, EXA Infrastructure, said:“ The purchase of the Conexio assets is core to our strategy to create the most reliable, modern infrastructure network in Europe. Conexio’ s assets integrate seamlessly with our previous acquisitions of Unitel in Croatia and GCN in Bulgaria, meaning EXA Infrastructure now operates the leading homogeneous network connecting Western Europe to the Balkans, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and beyond.”

Under the agreement, EXA Infrastructure will acquire Conexio’ s long-haul network assets, comprising two high-density polyethylene( HDPE) ducts spanning 860km, existing cables and 15 points of presence( PoP) locations. The transaction also includes the transfer of existing customer contracts, ensuring a seamless continuation of services.

Constructed in 2011, the Conexio network follows Serbia’ s main motorways, providing the shortest border-to-border routes with low latency and high reliability. It connects Belgrade, Niš and Novi Sad, linking to international borders with Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

The transaction is expected to complete following customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

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