SEPA Direct Debit
12 January 24
TrueLayer first participant to the SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) scheme
We are happy to announce TrueLayer as the first participant to the SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) scheme! This marks a first important milestone for the scheme, which is open for scheme adherence since December 2023. The SPAA scheme covers the set of rules, practices and standards th
31 May 23
A pathway to improve the security of card payment systems
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. The Smart Payment Association (SPA) is the trade body of the cards and mobile payments industry and addresses the challenges of a fast-evolving payment ecosystem, prom
14 October 22
Accessibility to retail payments in the EU
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. The European retail payments landscape has changed due to a multitude of reasons: innovation, regulatory developments, the Covid-19 pandemic and changing consumer hab
28 September 23
Exploring FIDA: revised rules on financial data sharing access
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council or the European Commission. In June 2023 the European Commission put forward a proposal for a Regulation to further digitalise and improve competitiveness in the Europe
09 March 20
New version of the guidelines on cryptographic algorithms usage and key management
Today the EPC published a new version of the guidelines on cryptographic algorithms usage and key management in order to provide guidance to the European payments industry, more precisely to security officers, risk managers, system engineers and systems designers. Although its content does not a
SEPA Direct Debit Core Rulebook - Public Consultation Document on 2024 Change Requests and Response Template
22 March 22
Request for Proposal to find an Economic Consultant for the definition of a possible business model for the SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) Scheme
In June 2021 the Euro Retail Payments Board (ERPB) invited the EPC to take up the role of scheme manager for the development of a SEPA API access scheme related to payment accounts, in line with the requirements defined in the June 2021 report of the ERPB Working Group on a SEPA API Access scheme1(S
06 September 21
The investigation phase of the digital euro project is about to start
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. After analysis, experiments and input from citizens and professionals, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to launch the investigation
SEPA Credit Transfer Rulebook - Public Consultation Document on 2024 Change Requests and Response Template
04 August 22
The EPC appointed PwC Italy as Economic Consultant for the SPAA scheme
As part of the development of the SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) scheme, the European Payments Council (EPC) selected PricewaterhouseCoopers Business Services S.r.l. (‘PwC Italy’) as Economic Consultant. In June 2021 the Euro Retail Payments Board (ERPB) invited the EPC to take up the r
20 April 23
New EPC Director General Giorgio Andreoli outlines his vision and the challenges ahead
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. Giorgio Andreoli took up the post of Director General of the European Payments Council (EPC) on 1 April 2023. We interviewed him to shed light on his first impressions
Public consultation on the SEPA Request-to-Pay scheme Rulebook change requests
31 January 22
SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) – developing a new scheme through a multi-stakeholder approach
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. At its 24 November 2021 meeting, the EPC Board accepted the Euro Retail Payments Board’s (ERPB) invitation to act as Scheme Manager for a new Single Euro Paymen
20 January 21
Call for nominations for five open seats in the MSG MSCT Plenary
To contribute to the take-up of mobile initiated (instant) credit transfers (MSCTs) in Europe, the EPC created in 2018 an ad-hoc multi-stakeholder group (MSG MSCT). The group has been focusing during the past years on the interoperability of MSCTs across Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and publishe
01 December 23
The Finnish payment landscape: a digitalised society with one of the most developed payments ecosystem in the world
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. Finland is a European frontrunner in payment digitalisation, with e-invoicing particularly commonplace in the country – a likely trend anticipated to happen in the res
25 October 21
Call for participants in the SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) scheme’s interest group
At its 28 June 2021 meeting the Euro Retail Payments Board (ERPB) formally invited the EPC to take up the role of Scheme manager of a SEPA API Access Scheme in relation to payment accounts, in line with the requirements defined in the June 2021 report of the ERPB Working Group on a SEPA API Access S
18 September 23
What do the PSD3 and PSR mean for the payments sector?
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council or the European Commission. On June 28, 2023, the European Commission (EC) published a set of new legislative proposals, notably for a Third Payment Services Directive
23 September 20
Country profile: digital and instant payments are the norm in Estonia
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. We continue our series of European payment landscapes with a profile of Estonia. Estonia is a frontrunner for card payments, and its PSP community was among the first
11 February 21
The opportunity for the LEI in 2021
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) is the body responsible for managing the implementation of the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) - a unique global id
30 March 23
State of play, challenges, perspectives for European payments - Interview with Etienne Goosse
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. The European payment landscape is going through a considerable transformation due to technological developments, entry by new actors and regulatory changes. We intervi
13 June 22
Public consultation on the SEPA Payment Account Access Scheme Rulebook
Today the European Payments Council (EPC) is launching a public consultation on the draft rulebook of its new SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) Scheme and on a related document concerning a possible additional ‘premium’ functionality that would allow asset brokers to request a payment with transact
27 January 23
How Lithuania’s payment landscape is changing
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. We continue our series of European payment landscapes with a profile of Lithuania. Lithuania’s payment service provider (PSP) community was among the first to adhere t
13 July 20
UK’s rollout of Confirmation of Payee
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to the European Payments Council. After a few years in development, a new Confirmation of Payee (CoP) system was rolled out last month by UK banks. In short, the CoP enables consumers to see whether th
31 August 22
EPC’s 20th anniversary conference: “Integrated, innovative and competitive European payments: a generation’s effort or a never-ending quest?”
This year is very special for the European Payments Council (EPC), which celebrates its 20th anniversary. To mark this occasion, the EPC organised a conference on 16 June 2022 with the following theme: “Integrated, innovative and competitive European payments: a generation’s effort or a never-ending