Oversight of payment transaction processors
The proper functioning of card payment processing in Belgium, given its role in the real economy, is a primary objective of the Bank’s oversight.
Although payment processors are not necessarily payment systems, the Belgian economy is heavily dependent on the proper functioning of payment processors. Society strongly depends on the stability and continuity of scriptural money payments. The malfunctioning of one specific service provider, even if it is only temporary, has far-reaching consequences for the entire scriptural payment system. The resulting economic damage could be considerable.
Legislation
- Law of 24 March 2017 on the oversight of payment transaction processors: only available in Dutch and French.
- Regulation of the National Bank of Belgium of 20 November 2018 specifying the terms of certain obligations of the Law of 24 March 2017 on the oversight of payment transaction processors (AR/KB of 25 January 2018 only available in Dutch and French)
- Royal Decree of 25 January 2019 on the requirements for processors of retail payments instruments and card payments schemes (CPS) having established a relation with them on the due diligence that CPS must have in place when using the services of systemically relevant payment processors, the identification and management of the risks by those processors, the continuity of their services and the practical modalities of the communication in case of an incident (available in Dutch and French)
List of systemically relevant payment processors
Systemically important processors |
Payment scheme for which the legal threshold is exceeded |
|
Bancontact |
Maestro |
|
Worldline NV/SA |
X |
|
equensWorldline SE |
X |
X |
Worldline Switzerland ltd | X |
Worldline NV/SA
Naamloze Vennootschap / Société anonyme
Chaussée de Haecht, 1442
1130 Brussels
equensWorldline SE
Europese vennootschap / Société européenne
Eendrachtlaan 315
3526 LB Utrecht
Nederland
Worldline Switzerland ltd
Naamloze Vennootschap / Société anonyme
Hardturmstrasse 201
8005 Zürich
Schweiz