Betaaljournaal 22

Newsletter Dutch Payments Association

Graduates are celebrating and the rest of us are preparing for a warm summer vacation. For everyday payments and banking, it will be a warm summer too; a summer piloting 19 bank information points in 10 municipalities where everyone who cannot keep up with the rapid digitisation will be warmly welcomed.

The Minister of Finance has stated that accessible banking also includes cash, to manage spendings for people without digital skills, amongst others. Together with our members and the Dutch Banking Association, we will confer with the Dutch national bank and the Ministry of Finance on proposed legislation for cash.

In Brussels the legislative machine is also heating up. A comprehensive payments legislation package is expected on 28 June. This will cover the revised PSD2, an Open Finance Framework and the legal framework for a possible digital euro. Political negotiations on the legal obligations for instant payments are nearing completion.

It was recently announced that iDEAL is spreading its wings across the rest of Europe, merging with EPI, the European Payments Initiative by a dozen major European banks from Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

For climate-friendly summer travel, we need smooth public transport. Translink, public transport companies, card issuers and the Payments Association have worked intensively together in recent years so that from now on everyone can check in and out of public transport anywhere in the Netherlands using a credit or debit card. This also offers unprecedented convenience for foreign visitors in the Netherlands.

I wish our readers a very happy summer vacation with safe, accessible and inclusive payment convenience. If you leave Europe, don’t forget to disable geo-blocking for your debit card 😉

Gijs Boudewijn, managing director

 

 

Programme for Accessible Banking gains momentum

Banks and public organizations, including Alliantie Digitaal Samenleven (alliance for mutual support in a digital society), are joining forces to make banking and payments more accessible. A trial with three bank information points has now been expanded to ten municipalities across the Netherlands. It is an initiative of the Payments Association, the Dutch Banking Association (NVB) and the three major banks. A joint ‘accessibility route’ will also be launched this year, with Volksbank also participating.

A recent survey by the Dutch national bank (DNB) shows that some 2.6 million Dutch people have difficulty managing banking and payment matters autonomously, for various reasons. In response to that survey, banks have pledged to offer more help. With the Accessible Banking programme, they join forces to improve the accessibility of banking services. This includes developing appropriate facilities, improving telephone services and providing accessible digital services via websites and mobile apps.

For an overview of the efforts and partnerships in the programme, read our news article (in Dutch) ‘Banks and civil society organisations join hands for accessible and inclusive services‘.

 

Meeting for members on Instant One-Leg Out Credit Transfer

The European Payments Council (EPC) has published the ‘Instant Euro One-Leg Out Credit Transfer Rulebook‘. This rulebook should provide a basis for standardised agreements and conventions on processing transactions where the counterpart is located outside SEPA, from the perspective of a payment services provider (PSP) within SEPA.

On Tuesday 27 June from 15h00 to 16h30, Jan Paul van Pul will give a presentation on this subject at the Payments Association. He is Senior Payments Advisor at ING and he represents Dutch payment services providers in the EPC One-Leg Out Task Force. His presentation is aimed at specialists from various disciplines and highlights both the technical aspects and practical application of the Instant Euro One-Leg Out Credit Transfer.

The invitation to this meeting has been circulated through a member bulletin. Some seats are still available. To attend, please register by sending an e-mail to events@betaalvereniging.nl, stating ‘Inst Euro One-Leg Out (OCT)’, your name, e-mail address and job title.

 

Focus of Maatschappelijk Overleg Betalingsverkeer on accessibility

The Maatschappelijk Overleg Betalingsverkeer (MOB) is a national platform for dialogue and cooperation between organizations involved in both providing and procuring payment services. The MOB’s main objective is to ensure a secure, reliable, accessible and efficient payment system in the Netherlands. Twice a year, members of the MOB meet, vhaired by DNB, to confer and discuss strategies.

The most recent meeting, on 1 June, took place at the public library in Rotterdam. This was prompted by the focus on accessibility, as a bank information point has been set up in this library since October.

During the MOB meeting, the following notable topics were discussed:

  • The Minister of Finance’s announced bill to keep cash usable, available, accessible and affordable;
  • The banks’ programme to improve the accessibility of banking and payment services;
  • Progress in addressing undesirable effects of de-risking on the access to payment services;
  • Developments for the digital euro;
  • Presenting the MOB Annual Report 2022 to the Minister of Finance.

The full report of the MOB meeting can be found here

After the meeting, MOB participants met with people who have difficulty doing certain daily banking tasks autonomously.

 

Vacancy Product Consultant Cash and Cards

Contant betalen? Of toch liever pinnen? Een dilemma.

The Dutch Payments Association has a challenging vacancy for a Product Consultant Cash and Cards. We are looking for someone who can make an essential contribution to the continuous development of the payment system in the Netherlands and Europe, with passion and expertise. This position offers the chance to play a key role within a dynamic and important sector, and to work with a team of professional and passionate colleagues. We offer attractive employment conditions and plenty of opportunities for professional development and growth.

Are you ready for the next step in your career and would you like to contribute to one of Europe’s most innovative and efficient payment systems? Find out more about this position and apply today!

Click here to view the full vacancy and apply

 

Legislative proposals to keep cash accessible and available

Het Convenant Contant is in het leven geroepen om contant geld goed beschikbaar voor u te houden.

On 31 May, Minister of Finance Sigrid Kaag informed the House of Representatives in writing of her intention to introduce legislation that ensures cash remains accessible and available.

This intention was prompted by the outcome of the ‘TICKET’ study conducted by consultancy firm PwC on behalf of DNB and her Ministry on the future organisation of the cash infrastructure.

The proposed legislation will include:

  • Establishing and maintaining a basic infrastructure for the withdrawal and deposit of banknotes and coins. This obligation will apply in particular to the three Geldmaat shareholders ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank;
  • Establishing a minimum number of ATMs sufficiently distributed across the country;
  • Imposing an obligation on Dutch banks to ensure that their customers can withdraw and deposit banknotes at ATMs. This obligation applies to ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank (AIR), as well as smaller banks such as, bunq, Knab, de Volksbank, Van Lanschot Kempen and Triodos Bank (together accounting for 99.6% of Dutch current accounts);
  • Establishing that cash withdrawals and deposits by consumers should not be separately charged;
  • Capping fees for cash services to businesses close to currrent levels, to ensure these fees remain reasonable.

The whole process is expected to take another two years before this law comes into force.

 

Easing SCA for account information

On 5 December 2022, the European Banking Authority published an amendment to the regulatory technical standards for applying Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) when accessing payment account information. The proposal includes two key points:

  • Payment services providers will not apply SCA when a customer accesses his or her payment account online through an account information services provider. This only applies when access is limited to one (or both) of the following online data elements, with no disclosure of sensitive payment data:
    • The balance of one or more designated payment accounts;
    • Payment transactions carried out in the last 90 days through one or more designated payment accounts.
  • As an exception to the above, payment services providers should always apply SCA when:
    • The customer seeks online access through the account information services provider for the first time;
    • More than 180 days have passed since the last time SCA was applied.

The changes will take effect on 25 July 2023.

 

Worldwide first for OVpay with nationwide introduction

 

Since 6 June 2023, it is possible to check in and out with a debit or credit card at all public transport companies in the Netherlands. This makes the Netherlands the first country in the world where this is possible nationwide. On that date a national ad campaign for OVpay was launched. This campaign can be seen on television and on bus and tramway shelters, and heard on the radio.

The option to travel by debit or credit card was first introduced in Arriva’s city buses in Lelystad in March 2021. Since then, this way of travelling has been deployed in more and more regions. RET in Rotterdam was the last operator to introduce this service.

The price for travelling with a debit or credit card corresponds to travelling with a public transport chip card without a discount or subscription (full fare in second class). Later, it will be possible to link discount products to the debit card.

This new form of payment in public transport is already used extensively. In May, more than 6% of all check-ins used a debit or credit card. Notably, the debit card is very popular during events and public holidays. On King’s Day for example, 26% of travellers who travelled without reduction or subscription used a debit or credit card.

 

Bridging the digital divide: digital banking for digi-starters

Research agency Muzus has conducted research commissioned by Netwerk Digitale Inclusie 55+, Alliantie Digitaal Samenleven and the Payments Association on reducing fear among digi-starters about internet banking and mobile banking. Muzus investigated motivations and demotivations of digi-starters’, as well as what is needed to create self-confidence when starting with online banking.

The study shows that digi-starters often want to get started themselves, but do not always know how and where to start. Often, contacting their bank is still too big a step, so they seek help or information from familiar and trusted service providers, such as informal carers or welfare workers.

To support these social workers in their task, tools are being developed, based on this study. These tools take into account different levels of knowledge about and experience with online banking, as well as various learning styles that determine information needs. These tools can be used by social workers to help digi-starters find their way around online banking.

Do you want to know more about the results of the study, the four learning styles and the materials developed? Then go to this file.

 

BNR Zakendoen with Gijs Boudewijn on the past, present and future of the Dutch payments system

At the beginning of June, Gijs Boudewijn was a guest in the BNR Zakendoen radio show. Host Edwin Mooibroek asked him about the developments for debit card payments, the accessibility of banking and payment services, the cost of the Dutch payment system and the future of cash.

The main thread through the conversation was the collaboration of Dutch payment service providers on non-competitive issues in payments, with a shared approach and common solutions.

Curious about Gijs’ views on the above issues? Then listen to the podcast ‘The Top of the Netherlands‘ from 6 June at BNR Nieuwsradio.

 

The Netherlands with instant payments example for the rest of Europe

Instant payments have been the norm for credit transfers in the Netherlands for some time now. This puts the Netherlands ahead of the rest of Europe. In 2022, however, the European Commission came up with a bill to make instant payments the new standard for the whole of Europe.

Why did the European Commission introduce this bill? And how did it come about that instant payments are already so common in the Netherlands? Frans van Beers and Niels Pranger of the Dutch Payments Association explain this in two detailed articles.

 

The media on the end of Acceptgiro

Since 1 June, paper Acceptgiro forms are no longer in use in the Netherlands. In the run-up to this date and shortly afterwards, more than 20 publications have appeared in the media about the end of this ‘request-to-pay on paper’.

ANP, NU.nl and several daily newspapers, including Algemeen Dagblad, Friesch Dagblad, Telegraaf, Trouw and Reformatorisch Dagblad, covered the end of this payment method. Some broadcasters, including RTV Oost, TV Limburg1, Hart van Nederland and the NOS Journaal also covered this on television.

Good alternatives to the Acceptgiro include paper-based “My One-off Gift”, mobile requests-to-pay such as Tikkies, standard payment instructions for paper transfer forms, QR codes (including those from iDEAL) and, of course, direct debits.

 

iDEAL becomes foundation for pan-European payments platform

Currence iDEAL has announced that it will merge into EPI, the European Payments Initiative of over a dozen leading banks and payment services providers from several EU member states.

The acquisition by EPI Company is in recognition of iDEAL’s success and importance as the largest ‘account-to-account’ payment method in the eurozone. EPI is building a pan-European payment method based on instant payments, for which iDEAL will be the foundation. With the acquisition of iDEAL, ABN AMRO and Rabobank now also become Dutch participants in EPI, alongside ING.

For Dutch consumers and businesses, the acquisition of iDEAL has no direct consequences for the time being, other than further development towards the New iDEAL that is already underway. We wish our former colleagues from Currence iDEAL the best of luck and a bright European future under the wings of EPI Company.

Read the announcement from Currence iDEAL

 

Payment year 2022 dominated by sustainable funding of the payment system and digital fallback options for debit card payments

In 2022, the activities of Betaalvereniging Nederland were focused on the sustainable funding of the payment system, digital fallback options for debit card payments, the accessibility of collective payment services and the update of payment terminals for Debit Mastercard and Visa Debit. These and many other topics appear in the Payments Association’s 2022 annual report. The first three topics will also require our attention in 2023.

It is of great importance that as many Dutch people as possible can continue to pay and bank autonomously. Thanks to the joint efforts by our members, good accessibility has become an integral part of the payment services on offer. A deeper insight in the impact of further digitisation will enable improvements to the accessibility of payment services in the coming period.

As the use of cash continues to decline, the importance of robust digital alternatives to debit card payments at physical counters increases. The cost of collective payment transactions for our members far exceeds the revenue. This raises questions about future-proof funding of the high-quality security, efficiency, reliability, accessibility and inclusiveness of our payment system.

 

Association news

We welcome our newest member Finom Payments BV, a fintech with a Dutch license as an electronic money institution. Finom provides services in accounting, financial management and banking from one mobile platform. They aim for financial management as simple as using your smartphone. As a payment account provider, Finom adds to the diversity of the landscape of payment services providers; the Payments Association looks forward to a fruitful collaboration. We have already met with Finom’s CEO Sergey Petrov extensively.

 

Agenda

  • 27 juni – Topical meeting Instant One-Leg Out Credit Transfer
  • 6 juli – Board meeting
  • 2 oktober – Giro Stakeholder Forum / Card Forum
  • 12 oktober –Shopping Todayevent
  • 15 november – General Members’ Assembly and subsequent yearly conference of the Dutch Payments Association
  • 27 november – Digital Inclusion Day
  • 28 november – Maatschappelijk Overleg Betalingsverkeer

 

Member Bulletins

In addition to this Betaaljournaal, the Dutch Payments Association issues Member Bulletins. These bulletins usually appear a few times a month and relate to a specific topic. If you are a member and you do not yet receive these bulletins, you can subscribe to the mailing list via secretariaat@betaalvereniging.nl.

 

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