As previously communicated each VOP scheme participant is uniquely identified in the ROP and in the EDS only by one BIC (the “participant BIC”), provided during the VOP scheme adherence process in the Schedule to the Adherence Agreement (Annex H-2). The EPC Secretariat does not perform any check on this BIC.
During the EDS update phase, the VOP scheme applicants or the RVM acting on behalf will be able to insert their reachability data (API address (URI)) and the associated additional BIC(s) (“account holding BIC(s)”).
As mentioned in the VOP scheme API specifications (EPC 103-24) and in the API Security Framework (EPC 164-22), before sending a VOP request, a Requesting PSP will have to map the IBAN received from the requester into the account holding BIC of the Responding PSP (i.e., the payment counterparty’s PSP) to find in the EDS the connectivity data (URI) of the Responding PSP, required in order to send the VOP request.
This IBAN-to-BIC mapping needs to produce as output an “account holding BIC” and not a “payment BIC” or “routing BIC”, as customary in the payment schemes. The account holding BIC may correspond to the payment BIC of the VOP Responding PSP, but this is not guaranteed in all cases.
The use of an incorrect IBAN-to-BIC mapping algorithm may result into a wrong URI being retrieved in the EDS, and therefore in a technical error in the VOP Response message.
This IBAN-to-BIC mapping service is not provided by the EDS and should therefore either be provided by the VOP scheme participant or provided by a RVM on behalf of the scheme participant.
Description of the issue
The output of the IBAN-to-BIC mapping needs to produce an “account holding BIC” and not a “payment BIC” or “routing BIC”, as customary in the payment schemes.
The existing mapping tools are hence not valid for the VOP scheme.
In addition, so far, there is no clear and totally product independent definition of an account holding BIC.
Action plan
The objective is to publish a clarification paper on the IBAN to BIC mapping including a definition based on National ID lists that would be bullet proof and would cover all countries and all products.
To this end, the following steps will take place:
- Retrieve access to official National ID lists
Obtain availability of National ID lists allow to check the correspondence between NationalIDs (IBAN ranges) and “account Holding BICs”. - Elaborate a set of test cases / examples of IBANs and corresponding “account Holding BICs”
Elaborate a set of test cases for IBAN/BIC mapping algorithms that may be leveraged by (a) all PSPs, (b) RVMs; (c) Directory providers, so to give instructions to their customers. - A “public call for interest” to BIC Directory Service Providers owning IBAN/BIC directories was issued at the beginning of July
Elicit an interest to collaborate with the EPC with the goal of (a) verifying consistency with EPC account Holding BIC definition, and (b) verify respective IBAN-to-BIC algorithm to be used by VOP Requesting PSPs.
The test cases will be submitted to the BIC Directory Service Providers that responded to the call, to jointly verify the results.