Mobile payments provider Zapp announced it is approaching near total coverage of U.K. merchants with the addition of Elavon to its roster of supporting payment service providers.

WorldPay, Optimal Payments, Realex and SagePay are Zapp's existing payment partners, while HSBC, First Direct, Nationwide, Metro Bank and Santander announced support for its service in January.

Zapp is to be integrated into the five U.K. financial institutions' existing mobile banking applications, providing real-time mobile payments between consumers and merchants, both online and in-store, without the need for a digital wallet or new app, the company said.

Zapp is a wholly-owned, independent subsidiary of London-based payments system and ATM switch provider VocaLink, while Elavon is wholly owned by U.S. Bancorp.

The payment service providers said they are committed to integrating Zapp into their payment systems and will assist in launching Zapp to U.K. consumers in late 2014.

Customers will be able to see their bank account balances and select the account from which they wish to make a Zapp payment. Zapp can work with a variety of point-of-sale technologies, including NFC, Bluetooth or existing PIN-entry devices.

"Momentum is increasing as Zapp moves towards market launch," Peter Keenan, Zapp's chief executive, said in a statement. "This announcement means that thousands more merchants and millions of checkouts can use Zapp's checkout experience."