Dutch Payments Association established!

The Dutch Payments Association (Betaalvereniging Nederland) was established in 2012. Its tasks include facilitating the transition of its members to a harmonized European payment system, and associated activities such as fraud prevention and public awareness. It is focused on the further development of social efficiency and the security of the Dutch payment market. The Payments Association intends to create a support base for its activities by actively and periodically consulting consumer and business representatives, to find out where their concerns lie. This differentiates it from the Dutch Banking Association (Nederlandse Vereniging van Banken), which is an industry organisation, and Currence, owner of Dutch payment scheme iDEAL.

Broader national collaboration offers all-round benefits

The payments market is increasingly European. The Netherlands has moved from domestic to European payment products and services. Nonetheless, as far as the infrastructure is concerned, national collaboration between banks, payment institutions and electronic money institutions, remains essential. After all, the Dutch payment market must remain socially efficient, secure and reliable. The Payments Association plays an important role in this endeavour. It organises a large number of activities that advance efficiency, reliability, accessibility and security in the Dutch electronic payment market. The Payments Association supports payment service providers that offer payment products for end users on the Dutch market, such as banks, payment institutions and electronic money institutions.

Piet Mallekoote, former Managing Director of the Dutch Payments Association: “In the Netherlands, we have an extremely efficient and high-quality payment system. To expand this further within the European payments market, our industry requires a high level of knowledge. Through the Payments Association we can aggregate this knowledge and provide our members with a better service.”

The Dutch Banking Association is one of the founders. Former Managing Director Wim Mijs: “The Dutch Banking Association carried out a number of operational tasks related to payments that don’t necessarily fit within the work of a banking industry organisation. We have therefore transferred these tasks to the Payments Association.”

As payment systems play an increasingly important role within society, the Payments Association actively involves end user representatives in its work, through open dialogue and by regular consultation. This ensures that decisions regarding the Payments Association’s operations are broadly supported. Everyone in the Netherlands should benefit.

Bart Combee, former Managing Director at the Dutch Consumer Organisation (Consumentenbond) commented: “Payments are a basic utility; we value that the Dutch Payments Association takes the interests of consumers into account.”

In this pivotal role, the Payments Association acts as a key expert in areas relating to the Dutch payment  infrastructure, also within Europe. For Henk Kok, former Managing Director of the Dutch Retail Association (Detailhandel Nederland), the advantages were clear: “The payment system is becoming increasingly complex and we are happy that the Payments Association offers guidance for the infrastructure for debit card transactions. This will keep the payment system efficient.”

The Board of the Payments Association

The Board of the Payments Association is made up of nine members, three of which are independent, including its President. The other six board members represent its members (banks and payment institutions). The Managing Director of the Dutch Payments Association is Gijs Boudewijn.

Dutch Payments Association’s Office

The office of the Dutch Payments Association is located in the ‘Zuidas’ business district of Amsterdam.

 

The Dutch Payments Association organises the collective tasks in the national payment system for its members. Members are providers of payment services on the Dutch market: banks, payment institutions and electronic money institutions. The collective tasks of the members relate to payments infrastructure, standards and common product features.