Evaluation Support Study for the Revision of the Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines

We are pleased to announce that today the European Commission has published the final report “Evaluation Support Study for the Revision of the Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines”, prepared by a consortium comprising Lear as the Study leader, and partners Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung e. V. (“DIW”) and EY Economic and Policy Advisory Services SRL (“EY”).
The Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines (“Aviation Guidelines”) issued in 2014 set out the criteria under which certain State support measures granted to airlines and to airports are compatible with the single market. Read more

The dual nature of the competitive relationship between card schemes and digital wallets

Innovation has been reshaping the payments landscape, leading to the rise of new payment methods: digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are increasingly used by consumers for online payments. New payment methods rely on traditional payment services (cards and credit transfers), resulting in new and complex relationships among operators active at different stages of the payments value chain.

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Lear appoints two new Partners to lead operations in Portugal

Lear is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Partners, João E. Gata and Montezuma Dumangane, who will lead Lear’s operations in Portugal. Their appointment marks an important milestone in Lear’s growth in Portugal and the Southern European region, while strengthening our capabilities in competition economics and regulatory advisory.

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Workshop – Dai wallet digitali ai pagamenti biometrici: le nuove dinamiche competitive nei pagamenti online

Siamo entusiasti di annunciare il nostro prossimo evento: il workshop “Dai wallet digitali ai pagamenti biometrici: le nuove dinamiche competitive nei pagamenti online”, che si terrà a Milano il 9 Aprile 2026 presso lo Starhotels E.c.ho. in  Viale Andrea Doria, 4.

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LEAR RECOGNIZED BY GCR AS ONE OF THE TOP 20 COMPETITION ECONOMICS FIRMS

We are proud to announce that Global Competition Review has once again recognized Lear as one of the top 20 competition economics consultancies worldwide in the GCR100 ranking!

The “highly recommended” ranking reflects our commitment to rigorous economic analysis in various contexts: public enforcement proceedings, litigation matters and policy assessment engagements. 

We thank our clients for their trust and cooperation, your support continues to drive us forward!

Measuring the Invisible: The Deterrence Effects of EU Competition Enforcement

How can we measure something that doesn’t happen like companies deciding not to break the rules because of effective competition enforcement?

This question was at the heart of the session “Measuring the Invisible: The Deterrence Effects of EU Competition Enforcement”, organised by Lear during the 2025 edition of the Lear Competition Festival (LCF), which has just concluded.
The discussion explored how the impact of EU competition enforcement goes far beyond fines and official decisions. Its real value lies in preventing anticompetitive behaviour before it takes place a dimension that is harder to capture but crucial for assessing policy effectiveness. Read more

#LCF25 – Videos and photos are now available!

We are pleased to inform you that the video recordings are now available on LCF website, directly on the sessions page.
The photo gallery is also available at this link: Gallery – Lear Competition Festival .

To stay updated with our latest news and upcoming announcements, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Stay tuned for #LCF26!

Consumer Behaviour and Competition Dynamics in Online Payments

We are pleased to share our latest Lear Competition Note, “Consumer Behaviour and Competition Dynamics in Online Payments,” based on the Market Study on Competition in Online Payments prepared for the European Commission by Lear (lead partner), Capgemini, and Verian.

In this analysis, Tommaso Carbonara (Junior Consultant at Lear) and Elena Salomone (Senior Consultant at Lear) delve into the key insights of the study on how consumer preferences and behavioural biases contribute to shaping competition in the sector, drawing on findings of a large-scale survey (over 11,500 respondents across 14 EEA countries) and a behavioural experiment conducted by Verian. The note discusses: Read more

Lear is looking for a Data Scientist

Lear is looking for a talented Data Scientist to join our team and support the delivery of applied economic analysis. The role envisages: i) a key role in designing data analysis workflows; ii) the delivery of on-the-job training and instructor-led training; iii) hands-on data work.

This is a permanent, full-time position, based in Rome, with a flexible work-from-home policy.

Download the full job description for more details.

For more information on our vacancies, click here. 

Market study on competition in online payments

We are pleased to announce that our “Market Study on Competition in Online Payments” has been published by the European Commission. The study was caried out by a consortium comprising Lear, Capgemini and Verian, and led by Lear.

This study analyses the intensity of competition in the online payment sector in the EEA, with a focus on 14 countries.

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