The new rules ensure that funds reach the bank accounts of retail customers and businesses across the EU within 10 seconds. The rules were tentatively agreed in November and aim to make transfers safer and faster for retail customers and businesses.
Banks and other Payment Service Providers (PSPs) will have to ensure that credit transfers are available and processed instantly. The text, already agreed with EU member states, updates the current rules of the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa).
It is assumed that the instant credit transfer is performed regardless of the day or hour, and the money should reach the recipient’s account within ten seconds. The payer should also be informed within ten seconds whether the transferred funds have become available to the recipient.
EU member states whose national currency is not the euro will also have to apply the rules if accounts already offer regular transactions in euros, after a longer transition period. A special derogation from the 10-second payment requirement will be made for such after-hours accounts, taking into account possible concerns about access to euro liquidity. The new rules will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU Official Journal. EU member states will have 12 months to bring them into compliance.