Norway is a leading cashless country, where cash's share of payments has fallen to one of the lowest levels in the world, and it is also a high-purchasing-power market with high per-capita income. Vipps is, in effect, the mobile payment method that represents this market. It has become the national app for paying and sending money using nothing but a phone number, and since its 2022 merger with Denmark's MobilePay, it has been operated by Vipps MobilePay AS, a single company spanning Norway, Denmark, and Finland.

For B2C online sales targeting Norwegian individual consumers — fashion, beauty, digital content, and similar categories — Vipps is worth considering as a top priority. Especially for product categories with a high share of mobile purchases, an experience where payment finishes with a single in-app approval is a real factor in reducing drop-off at the payment step.

When a consumer selects Vipps at checkout, they are taken to the Vipps app, either by entering their phone number or through automatic app launch, and after confirming the amount they approve it with biometrics or a PIN. This in-app authentication satisfies the Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements of PSD2 as applied in the EEA, and the approval result is passed to the merchant in real time through Hecto Financial. The actual funds are drawn from the card or account the consumer has linked to the app.

Using Hecto Financial's integration, a Korean company can consider accepting Vipps without setting up a local entity in Norway. There may be industry restrictions under Vipps MobilePay's own merchant policy, and settlement cycle, fees, and currency options vary with transaction volume, so please confirm the scope of support with the sales team before signing a contract.

• Country of business registration

  Confirm whether a contract is possible on the basis of a Korea-registered business

• Sales channels

  The integration approach and priority vary depending on your online sales channel mix, such as owned storefronts, open marketplaces, and mobile apps

• Product categories handled

  Advance confirmation is needed as to whether your products fall under restricted categories in the Vipps operator's merchant policy

• Scope of EEA regulation

  Norway is not an EU member but, under the EEA Agreement, incorporates EU payment directives such as PSD2 into domestic law and also participates in the SEPA area. Compliance with these rules needs to be confirmed (see official sources below)

The amount the consumer pays is generated in Norwegian krone (NOK), which Hecto Financial receives locally and then converts, settling to the Korean merchant in whichever of USD, KRW, or JPY was chosen at contract time. The settlement cycle follows the contract terms. Refunds are processed as a cancellation of the original transaction, and because Norway recognizes a 14-day right of withdrawal after an online purchase under its Cancellation Act (Angrerettloven), which incorporates the EU Consumer Rights Directive via the EEA Agreement, it is safer to design your return and refund policy around this.

• Norges Bank (Central Bank of Norway)The official source for operation and oversight of Norway's payment systems and payment trend reports.
• Finanstilsynet (Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway)The regulator overseeing payment service and e-money providers. If this page's content differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.