Starting with October 31, 2016, Banca Transilvania implemented the SEPA regulations, regarding foreign exchange payments.
SEPA= Single Euro Payments Area (Zona Unică de Plăţi în Euro)
Context:
- starting with July 18, 2016, Banca Transilvania receives receipts in EUR through the SEPA system;
- starting with October 31, 2016, Banca Transilvania transmits through EUROSENT all SEPA payments in EUR and STEP2 all SEPA payments in EUR.
1. What is a SEPA payment?
The SEPA payment is that payment which:
- is in EUR;
- it is ordered in "normal" mode (i.e. without urgency);
- has as a beneficiary bank a bank from one of the 32 countries in the SEPA area (the list of countries is detailed at the end of this FAQ).
Any payment satisfying these conditions will be settled through a special system, without going through correspondence banks.
2. Is there a minimum/maximum limit on the amounts paid through SEPA?
Not.
3. Will it still be possible to make urgent payments, in eur, in SEPA countries, under SHA commissioning regime?
Yes, however, they will not be classified as SEPA payments and will be settled through a different system than payments subject to SEPA regulations.
4. What are the main milestones of a BT SEPA payment?
- Currency date T+1, i.e. the money goes to the beneficiary's account the next business day. If a customer needs the money to reach him on the same day, he will make a currency payment with urgency, just like now, which will go through the swift settlement system, with correspondent banks.
- Because there are no more correspondence banks in the SEPA settlement, the correspondent bank fee will no longer be withheld for these payments.
- It's ordered with SHA, because the legislation can't be otherwise;
- The Eur clearing system of Transfond is used: EUROSENT;
5. Are there any differences from the market?
No, because the legislation is the same.
6. What happens to currency payments ordered by customers through BT 24 or BT Ultra?
Those payments that qualify as SEPA will be automatically settled through the EUROSENT and STEP2 system.
There is a legal constraint of the type of file to be used by customers who import files, but these are particular cases, we have few customers and all will be contacted separately.
7. What are the regulated characteristics of SEPA payments?
- payment processing is done automatically, without manual intervention
- mandatory identification elements: IBAN codes for customer accounts and BIC codes for the identification of payment service providers
- the currency of the payment is the euro
- the beneficiary is located in one of the 32 countries in the SEPA area
- the payer's account can be opened in euros or in another currency, when the payer's bank offers automatic currency conversion services
- the payment amount must be fully credited to the beneficiary's account
- there is no limit to the amount of the payment
- the maximum settlement term is one business day
- the standard for payment messages is the UNIFI ISO 20022 (XML) Credit Transfer standard
8. What is the legal framework governing these payments?
- Law nr. 209/08.11.2019 on payment services and for the amendment of certain normative acts
- Regulation (EU) No .../... ANRE President's Order no. 260/2012 establishing the technical and commercial requirements applicable to credit transfer and direct debit operations in euro, as well as other internal regulations in force
9. Which are the countries in the SEPA area:
The Member States of the European Union:
- Euro area countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia
- Non-euro area countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden
- Member States of the European Economic Area (EEA): Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
- Non-member countries of the European Economic Area: Switzerland, Monaco and the United Kingdom
Sepa will be extended to the following territories, considered as part of the European Union (Art. 299 Treaty of Rome): Martinique, Guadalupe, Guiana Franceza, Reunion, Gibraltar, Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla and the Aland Islands.