Payments newsletter: Betaaljournaal 14

The past two years of the coronavirus pandemic have had a significant impact on payments, as outlined in our press release in which we looked back on the past year. Online payments are likely to maintain their current high volumes for the foreseeable future, whilst electronic payments at the point of sale have almost returned to pre-pandemic levels. Cash payments, however, are lagging behind. These developments are a major factor in the persistently higher costs of cash payments for point-of-sale businesses. You can read more about this in this edition of Betaaljournaal. The cost of payments will also be high on the Dutch Payments Association’s agenda in the coming year. Together with our members, De Nederlandsche Bank and other stakeholders, we are also working on a covenant to ensure that cash continues to function effectively in the future. And we are paying close attention to accessibility and inclusivity within the sector. My colleague Peter Kleppe discusses developments within PI-ISAC, the Payment Institutions Information Sharing and Analysis Centre, in this edition of Betaaljournaal. I would also like to draw your attention to a new section on consultations on our website.

I hope to be able to speak to you in person more often in the coming months. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at our annual conference on 19 May, when we can raise a glass together. For now, I hope you enjoy reading this latest issue of the Betaaljournaal.
Gijs Boudewijn, Acting Managing Director

• 2021 was, above all, a banner year for online payments
• New ‘Consultations’ section on Betaalvereniging.nl
• Deadline for the EPC consultation on OCTs is 17 April
• DCA information material
• PI-ISAC update – Peter Kleppe
• Cost study of point-of-sale businesses
• Greater focus on accessible and inclusive payment services
• Consumer perceptions of payments survey 2021
• Figures
• Agenda

2021 was a particularly successful year for online payments

Even in the second year of the pandemic, online payments showed a strong increase in both the number of transactions (14%) and spending (turnover, 20%). The number of debit card payments at the till remained at the same level as last year, although spending rose slightly (5%). The rough estimate of the number of cash payments at the till and the associated spending remained virtually unchanged. However, cash payments had already declined at an unprecedented rate during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 (-43% in the number of payments, -33% in spending). Read the full article …

New ‘Consultations’ section on Betaalvereniging.nl

The Dutch Payments Association regularly acts as a mouthpiece for its members on matters of shared interest in the payments sector. This includes, for example, national and European consultations. These consultations concern collective, non-competitive issues faced by organisations and institutions involved in the European and national legislative processes. On our website, you can read about ongoing and completed consultations. View our ‘Consultations’ section…

Deadline for EPC consultation on OCTs is 17 April

On 18 January, the European Payments Council (EPC) launched a public consultation on the proposal for Euro One-Leg Out Credit Transfers (OCTs). These are SCT and SCT Inst transactions in euros where the credit or debit payment service provider is not part of SEPA. The EPC cannot agree binding rules for payment service providers outside SEPA. Hence, a so-called Arrangement Rulebook rather than an EPC Rulebook as we know it. The Arrangement Rulebook is intended to become the standardised basis for agreements and arrangements – whether bilateral or through partnerships – concerning the processing of OCTs. In the introduction, the EPC states the following:

This Arrangement is a set of rules, practices and standards designed to achieve interoperability for the provision and operation of an international payment instrument agreed at the Inter-PSP level to support euro-denominated Standard One-Leg Out (OLO) Credit Transfers (Euro OCTs) and Instant Credit Transfers (Inst Euro OCTs). The objectives of the Arrangement are:

• To serve as the primary source for defining the rules and obligations of the Arrangement;
• To provide authoritative information to Participants and other relevant parties on how the Arrangement functions;
• To provide relevant parties, such as Participants, Clearing and Settlement Mechanisms (“CSMs”) and technology suppliers, with information to support development and operational activities.

Payment service providers that execute payment transactions to or from countries outside SEPA may have an interest in this advisory standard. Any interested party may comment on this draft. The consultation remains open until 17 April 2022. For further information, please visit the EPC’s website .

DCA information material

Debit card payments in the Netherlands are set to change in the future. Debit Mastercard and Visa Debit will be introduced as new card types from 2023. To inform business owners about this, we have created this infographic and added frequently asked questions and answers to the website.

PI-ISAC update – Peter Kleppe

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Peter Kleppe is an Information Services Consultant at the Dutch Payments Association. His areas of expertise include disruptions and security issues in the payments sector. He provides us with an update on the Payment Institutions Information Sharing and Analysis Centre, or PI-ISAC.

Cost study of point-of-sale businesses

The total cost of payments for point-of-sale businesses amounted to €1.35 billion in 2020, compared with €1.42 billion in 2017. The number of point-of-sale transactions fell from 6 billion in 2017 to 5.2 billion in 2020. Payment costs as a percentage of turnover declined slightly to 1.1% in 2020. However, there were large differences between payment methods. Cash payments became considerably more expensive, while the average cost of a debit card payment remained roughly unchanged. These findings come from research by Panteia commissioned by the Dutch Payments Association and Dutch point-of-sale sectors. Read our full press release…

Greater focus on accessible and inclusive payments

Dutch banks work to ensure that their digital and other services are accessible and inclusive. Customers can still visit a bank branch or a growing number of service points. At a customer’s request, bank staff also provide support at home; banks expanded their teams of mobile advisers and coaches over the past year. Banks also offer extensive support by telephone and online, ranging from online workshops to individual help via video banking. Bank websites and VeiligBankieren.nl offer dozens of explanatory videos that anyone can watch at any time. Within the Accessibility and Inclusion Working Group (WTI), banks exchange ideas on how payments can better meet the needs of vulnerable groups. The ‘Online Banking with Rotterdam Libraries’ pilot is a good example of a joint initiative by banks in 2021.

In 2021, the Dutch Payments Association released an episode of ‘betaalTV’ on accessibility, along with an infographic that can also be listened to. During the Dutch Payments Association’s annual conference on 19 May, attention will once again be focused on accessibility and inclusion. Read more…

Consumer perceptions of payments survey 2021

Since 2015, the Dutch Payments Association has been monitoring consumer perceptions of payments in the Netherlands. In September 2021, an online survey was conducted for this purpose among 2,000 respondents aged 16 and over. How do they view payments? What do they see as positive and what not? What has annoyed them over the past year and – with a view to the Dutch Payments Association’s 10th anniversary – which development over the past 10 years do they view most positively? View the infographic…

Figures

4.49 billion debit card transactions in 2021

1.35 billion cash transactions in 2021

Want more figures? Visit factsheet.betaalvereniging.nl

Agenda

• 24 February – Information session for point-of-sale businesses
• 17 March – Stakeholder meeting
• 31 March – The future of payments. Members of the Dutch Payments Association receive a 20% discount . Topics to be covered this year: Regulations – Reality, New payment behaviour, Acceleration towards cashless
• 14 April – Members’ meeting
• 19 May – Dutch Payments Association Annual Conference

Members’ Bulletin

In addition to this Betaaljournaal, the Dutch Payments Association also publishes Member Bulletins. The bulletins are usually published a few times a month and focus on a specific theme. You may be a member but not yet receiving these bulletins. You can ask to be added to the mailing list via secretariaat@betaalvereniging.nl.

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