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Payments newsletter: Betaaljournaal 26

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The turn of the year is just behind us and the Payments Association is in full swing with its spearheads for 2024. For cash, both European and Dutch legislation are in the pipeline. To raise the status of the euro as legal tender, a European regulation was published last year and will be adopted soon. The proposed Dutch ‘Wet chartaal betalingsverkeer’ (currency payments act) has now been made public for consultation. Together with our members and stakeholders, we will respond to it soon.

New European regulation is being worked on around Instant Payments. Although Instant Payments are the new normal in the Netherlands, Dutch payment service providers will also have to work hard in the coming year to comply with the new rules and agreements. We will be happy to help them do so. The political process surrounding the successors to PSD2 is progressing steadily, around PSD3 and the Payment Services Regulation. We are also intensively discussing these with our members and with the Brussels regulator.

Finally, our Accessible Banking initiatives are fully up to speed, including the recent launch of the new collective website for and about bank information points. In short, an exciting and flying start to the new year.

I hope readers of our Payments Journal were also able to energetically pick up their good intentions for 2024. I would like to point you to our agenda at the bottom of this newsletter and then hope to welcome you to one or more of our meetings in the coming year. Our next stakeholder forum, on PIN and cashless payments, is already on 4 March.

Gijs Boudewijn, managing director

Spreker van Betaalvereniging Nederland presenteert voor volle zaal, met groot wit cijfer 26 op blauw projectiescherm.

European Parliament approves Instant Payments Regulation

The European Parliament approved the Instant Payments Bill on 7 February 2024. Members of the European Parliament approved the bill by a large majority, with 599 out of 705 MEPs. With this, the new regulation will soon come into force. Rapporteur Michiel Hoogeveen (European Conservatives and Reformists Group) said of the agreement: “The Instant Payments Regulation marks the long-awaited modernisation of payments in the European single market. With Instant Payments, we have collectively achieved something that really benefits people and businesses: transferring money within 10 seconds at any time of the day.”

For a thorough interpretation of the regulation and its implications for payments, please refer to our extensive article.

Full house at information meeting on Instant Payments

On 16 January, we organised an information meeting on the Instant Payments Regulation for members and other stakeholders.

During the meeting, experts from the Payments Association and the Dutch Banking Association offered insight into the main requirements of the regulation. In addition, Roel Stawski of Van Lanschot Kempen shared his experiences with their Instant Payments implementation project. This led to valuable interaction and discussion with the attendees.

We support our members in connecting to the regulation, including by offering information and assistance. For questions or to subscribe to our specific newsletter on this topic, please contact us at IPRegulation@betaalvereniging.nl.

Contactless mobile payments still on the rise

Across the board, the number of payment transactions grew in 2023. In particular, the use of smartphones to make payments increased again strongly. Almost four in 10 debit card payments at the checkout were made with a mobile phone or smartwatch at the end of last year. Checking in and out in public transport with a contactless debit or credit card is firmly embraced: three out of ten travellers who check in for basic fare (without discount) now do so with a debit card, phone or smartwatch.

Bill on cash payments for consultation

On Friday 26 January, the Ministry of Finance presented the bill on cash payments for consultation. This legislation will replace the April 2022 Cash Covenant in due course.

Key points of the bill are:

The government has until 8 March 2024 to respond to the consultation. We are of course preparing a substantive response together with our most affected members. We expect that some members will also respond individually, as the consequences may differ.

Bankinformatiepunt.nl: online starting point for help with banking matters

The Accessible Banking programme launched on 9 January a joint online starting point for all help with banking matters: Bankinformatiepunt.nl . This website is for people who cannot manage their banking well on their own and for everyone who supports this group. With Bankinformatiepunt.nl, together with our members and the Dutch Banking Association, we highlight both collective and individual assistance with banking matters. Take a look and draw others’ attention to it!

To mark the launch, we held a webinar in which we also highlighted other activities within the programme. These include the 150 workshops we are holding across the country this year, pilot 2.0 with bank information points in libraries and educational materials such as the DigiHandig material and the DigiHandig app. Together, we are committed to ensuring that everyone can manage their daily banking and keep up with developments in that area.

Over 20 lawyers from a dozen different banks and payment institutions sat in the lecture halls at the Payments Association in Amsterdam on 9 February. In cooperation with the law faculty of Erasmus University Rotterdam, we organised a one-day lecture on ‘Legal aspects of payment transactions‘. We regularly organise meetings and activities for members and non-members. This bespoke lecture is the most recent example.

Vlogs by Joan: From concern to proficiency

Digital banking is constantly evolving, offering new opportunities for efficiency and convenience. In her educational vlog series on AccessibleBanking.co.uk , experience expert Joan gives an insight into the practical side of this modern form of banking. Her first vlog “I can bank online now! ” illustrates the switch to online transactions and how this transition can be much more accessible than initially thought. In her next vlog “Jitters when transferring large sums of money? ” joan addresses the topic of large transfers and offers three tips for increased reliability and security. With her personal experiences, Joan offers a source of recognition and practical tips.

Geldland

Watch our latest video here:

Figures

Over 80% of all payments in online shops were made by iDEAL or credit card by the end of 2023. Payments with iDEAL increased by 10.5% by 2023.

More figures on our factsheet

Agenda

Member Bulletin

In addition to this Payment Journal, the Payments Association also publishes Member Bulletins. In these, we inform members about practical matters of interest. The bulletins usually appear a few times a month and relate to a specific topic. Are you a member but not yet receiving these bulletins? You can get yourself placed on the mailing list at secretariaat@betaalvereniging.nl.

Subscribe to Payment Journal

Also curious about the latest developments in payments? Stay informed via Betaaljournaal. You can register here.

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