SEPA Payments Schemes, Instruments, Initiatives and Messages standards
Simply put, SEPA payments are pan-European payments instruments in Euro, created as results of the SEPA project whose aim is to harmonize standards and practices for electronic and cash payments across the SEPA area. The SEPA area consists of 34 countries out of which some do not use Euro as local currency. If you...
SWIFT BIC Code
The SWIFT BIC code is a standardized international identifier (ISO 9362) used in financial messages exchanges. Understanding what the BIC code is fundamental because it is used to identify entities and to route payments messages over SWIFTNet, the SWIFT secure IP Network. What does BIC stand for? and what is the BIC?
Does BIC stand for...
Main differences between SEPA Direct Debit Core and SEPA Direct Debit B2B Schemes
Before considering the differences between SEPA Direct Debit Core and SEPA Direct Debit B2B Schemes, it is worth reminding ourselves what a scheme is. The European Payments Council (EPC) defines a scheme as following: “A payment scheme is a set of rules which Payment Services Providers (PSPs) have agreed upon to execute transactions through a...
Creditor-driven and Debtor-driven Mandate Flows for the SDD
There exists two direct debit models: the Creditor-driven Flow and the Debtor-driven Mandate Flow. The SDD Schemes are based on the first model, the CMF. This article will answer the following questions: What are the direct debit models? What are their main differences?
A direct debit model essentially tells us how a mandate is issued...
The Four Corner Model for SEPA Direct Debit
If you ever want to understand how a payment instrument works and specifically the SEPA Direct Debit, the place to start is to draw the Four Corner Model and to study it. In introductory articles, we analyzed the open loop model, which remains the most widespread payments system model in the world. The Four...
