Single Euro Payments Area

Single Euro Payments Area
  Eurozone
  Other members of the European Union
  Other member states of the European Economic Area, and Switzerland
  Microstates participating in SEPA
  United Kingdom (remaining in SEPA after Brexit)[1]
TypeUniform pan-European financial transactions framework
Participants
36 polities
GovernmentPublic-private hybrid administration subject to EU laws
• Public regulator
Euro Retail Payments Board
• Private regulator
European Payments Council
CurrencyEuro (€)

The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) is a payment integration initiative of the European Union for simplification of bank transfers denominated in euros. As of 2020, there were 36 members in SEPA,[2] consisting of the 27 member states of the European Union, the four member states of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), and the United Kingdom.[3][4][2] Some microstates participate in the technical schemes: Andorra,[5] Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City.[3]

SEPA covers predominantly normal bank transfers. Payment methods which have additional optional features or services, such as mobile phone or smart card payment systems, are not directly covered.[6] However, the instant SEPA payment scheme facilitates payment products also on smart devices.[7]

  1. ^ "Brexit from 1 January 2021 onwards: get ready for the end of the transition period". European Payments Council. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "SEPA". European Central Bank. 21 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Extension of the geographical scope of SEPA schemes in March 2019". European Payments Council. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.
  4. ^ "List of SEPA countries {Updated 2020 version}". B2B Pay powered by Barclays. 7 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Andorra becomes a member of the Single euro payments area (SEPA) • All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra". 23 June 2018.
  6. ^ REGULATION (EU) No 260/2012 (article 1 point 3)
  7. ^ "Instant payments (section "For consumers")". Euro Retail Payments Board (ERPB). 30 May 2023.