Brief

H/Advisors Cicero was enlisted by Wise (formerly Transferwise) to run a full public affairs campaign on the Cross-border Payments Regulation, with engagement spanning across the European Commission, which was responsible for drafting the proposal, Members of the European Parliament, Permanent Representations in Brussels, and national & European stakeholders across a number of EU member states.

Strategy and execution

H/Advisors Cicero provided strategic counsel, revamping Wise’s engagement activity plan immediately after being appointed to focus more heavily on obtaining key Member State support for their position, while approaching multiple political Groups in Parliament to ensure amendment tabling. This included providing a full stakeholder map, core messaging with tailored position papers, drafting amendments, and the provision of strategic advice throughout the campaign.   

We arranged meetings and regular calls with key Members of the Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) and Senior attaches representing national governments in Brussels. Support from the lead Parliamentarian on the file MEP Eva Maydell (BG, EPP) and key Member States such as Sweden, Poland and the UK proved vital in obtaining Wise’s suggested amendment.  

Our public affairs strategy worked in tandem with Wise’s media engagement​, providing key Brussels journalist contacts and enabling the client’s PR team to make an impact during important moments in the file’s passage through Parliament and trilogues.  

Supporting Wise’s public affairs team, we also provided a comprehensive policy tracking grid with real time updates and broader analytical updates covering all payments related initiatives.  

Result

As a result of the campaign, Wise obtained a significant consumer and operational driven win by securing a key amendment in the final Cross-border payments Directive​, obliging payment service providers to be more transparent to the consumer about the costs of credit transfers.