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(BRUSSELS) – The EU Council adopted Monday a regulation that will make instant payments fully available in euro to consumers and businesses in the EU and in EEA countries.
The instant payments regulation will allow people to transfer money within ten seconds at any time of the day, including outside business hours, not only within the same country but also to another EU member state. The regulation takes into consideration particularities of non-euro area entities.
The new rules will help to reduce excessive reliance on third-country financial institutions and infrastructures. It is expected that improving possibilities to mobilize cash-flows will bring benefits for citizens and companies and allow for innovative added value services.
Payment service providers such as banks, which provide standard credit transfers in euro, will be required to offer the service of sending and receiving instant payments in euro. The charges that apply (if any) must not be higher than the charges that apply for standard credit transfers.
The rules will come into force after a transition period that will be faster in the euro area, and longer in the non-euro area which will need more time to adjust.
The regulation grants access for payment and e-money institutions (PIEMIs) to payment systems, by changing the settlement finality Directive (SFD). As a result, these entities will be covered by the obligation to offer the service of sending and receiving instant credit transfers, after a transitional period. The regulation includes appropriate safeguards to ensure that the access of PIEMIs to payment systems doesn’t carry additional risk to the system.
Under the new rules, instant payment providers will need to verify that the beneficiary’s IBAN and name match in order to alert the payer to possible mistakes or fraud before a transaction is made. This requirement will apply to regular transfers too.
The regulation includes a review clause with a requirement for the Commission to present a report containing an evaluation of the development of credit charges.
