Across Europe, vending has already gone through its main shift. The industry today operates around 4.5–5 million machines and generates about €26.4 billion in revenue, with activity continuing to recover, although at a slower pace. In 2023, the sector recorded 33.6 billion vends (+5.5% YoY), followed by 34.5 billion in 2024 (+0.6% YoY)—still around 17–18% below 2019 levels.

Cashless is no longer a new topic either. Around 78% of vending machines in Europe already offer cashless payment options, and demand for digital payments continues to grow.

At the same time, connectivity has reached a similar stage. Globally, around 58% of vending machines are already connected, and in Europe alone the installed base is estimated at close to 2.2 million connected machines, making Europe is roughly ~50% connected.

So the technology is there. What operators are dealing with now is something more practical, it’s how all of this works together.

Most vending operations have been built step by step. Payment systems were added, telemetry came later, cloud platforms on top. Each solved a problem, but they don’t always behave as one system. In practice, that means switching between platforms to check transactions, confirm machine status, or reconcile data.

Connectivity itself is entering a transition phase. With 2G networks being phased out across Europe and 3G expected to follow, a large number of machines will require upgrades in the coming years to remain operational.

And then there is interoperability.

At Venditalia 2026, EVA will introduce SmartLink, a new protocol designed to allow vending machines, payment systems, and management software to communicate more directly. The goal is to reduce fragmentation between systems and make data exchange more consistent across the ecosystem.

These are not separate trends.

More cashless means more transactions. More transactions mean more data. More data requires reliable connectivity. And once everything is connected, systems need to work together.

At Coges, this is reflected in how the portfolio is structured. Payment solutions such as QPay, MyKey and Pay4Vend are designed to operate together with connectivity and telemetry, connected through Vendon Cloud, where transaction and machine data can be accessed in one place. At the same time, the system remains open, allowing integration with existing tools and payment setups through APIs.

The same logic applies to the integration of Coges Nebular with Vendon Cloud, where both systems combine their functionalities into one environment running on the Vendon Cloud platform, giving operators a consistent view of payments, machine performance, and operational data.

This is what Coges and Vendon will present at Venditalia 2026 in Rimini.

Because at this stage, the industry is not lacking technology.

The focus is shifting toward making that technology work together in a way that reduces operational effort and improves visibility.

Meet Coges & Vendon at Venditalia 2026

Rimini Expo Centre

6–8 May 2026

Hall D1, Stand 155

See how payment and telemetry systems can be managed together. With a clear and consistent view across your business.

Data sources:

• European Vending & Coffee Service Association (EVA) – Market Report 2024
• European Vending & Coffee Service Association (EVA) – Market Information Portal
• Berg Insight – Connected Vending Machines (latest edition)
• Research and Markets – Connected Vending Machine Market Report
• European Central Bank (ECB) – Card Payments Statistics (Euro Area)
• European Commission – PSD2 (Revised Payment Services Directive)
• European Commission – EU Data Act
• European Commission – Instant Payments Regulation
• Venditalia 2026 Official Event Information

• European Vending & Coffee Service Association (EVA) – SmartLink Initiative / Interoperability Work