Payments
Payment transactions allow the transfer of funds between two parties and can be made in cash (banknotes and/or coins), or with electronic payment instruments and services.
L'Italian Banking Association - representing its members and through a constant dialogue with the authorities, with representatives of service users (consumers, non-banking companies, merchants, public administration) and with authorised service providers (Banks, Electronic Money Institutions, Payment Institutions) - promotes and participates in initiatives aimed at fostering competition, reliability and innovation in the national, European and global payments market.
A level nationalABI participates in institutional tables aimed at promoting the development of the payments market (Payments Committee Italy), business continuity in the provision of services (CODISE, COBAN) and the in-depth examination of specific issues in ad hoc tables. ABI also takes care of the definition of interbank agreements and procedures on the subject of payments and related services; it participates in information and training initiatives on the subject of payments.
ABI follows developments in the regulatory framework of reference by participating in institutional consultations and discussion tables, carries out analysis and research on the dissemination of payment services/instruments.
Cash
Cash payment transactions can be carried out using banknotes and coins, i.e. central bank money.
The legal currency in Italy is the euro, which came into circulation on 1 January 2002 to replace the lira.
La Bank of Italy issues the banknotes in euro on the basis of the principles and rules laid down in the Eurosystem, the system of central banks in the euro area responsible for implementing the single monetary policy, which includes the European Central Bank and the national central banks of the EU countries. The issuance of the coins in euro is the responsibility of each country: in Italy they are minted by the Polygraphic Institute and State Mint on behalf of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
ABI participates ini working tables dedicated to the topic of business continuity of cash handling (COBAN), security and efficiency in cash circulation, counterfeiting, cash acceptance and access, and the economic and environmental sustainability of this means of payment.
Payment services/instruments
The use of services e payment instruments alternatives to cash is increasingly widespread at national, European and international.
There are several services and payment instruments that authorised entities, i.e. the Prestorers of Servizi di Pagitation such as banks, the Istitutes of Pagitation, the Istitutes of Moneta Eand the Plandlords, they make available to their customers: citizens, businesses and public administration. these include:
- Transfers
- Direct debits
- Payment cards (debit, credit, pre-paid,...)
- Advised collection services (Bank Receipts-Ri.Ba., Payments by advice-MAV, Bank Bills, Postal Bills)
- Cheques and Bills of Exchange
ABI defines the interbank agreements to support the provision of national payment instruments and services, managed through electronic data transmission system procedures - SITRAD. Furthermore, it participates in the definition and evolution of European payment and related schemes defined by the European Payments Council - EPC) and takes part in the various other fora and forums dealing with payments at national, European and international level.
ABI carries out studies and research, promuove knowledge and dissemination of services e payment instruments and financial inclusion in compliance with the regulatory framework of reference, supports institutions and stakeholders on issues of interest in this area.
The Association does not deal withinstead, dhe relations of its members with customers nor of thei commercial aspects related to services, but, at compliance with the Commitments undertaken with the Competition and Market Authority (AGCM), takes place checks for possible redetermination of the level of maximum multilateral interchange fees applicable to services Ri.Ba. and MAV.
Standard Applicativi del Servizio messaggi di tesoreria riferiti al sistema di compensazione BICOM
Messaggi di tesoreria ABI-MTES-001 V.7.0
24 March 2025Treasury Message Service Application Standards referring to the BICOMP clearing system
Treasury Messages ABI-MTES-001 V5.0
29 January 2018Documenti tecnici
Specifiche tecniche della procedura CIT
Payment services/instruments
European Payment Services Directive (PSD)
The First European Payment Services Directive, the so-called PSD (Payment Services Directive, Directive, 2007/64/EC), è was transposed in Italy with the legislative decree no. 11 of 27 January 2010which entered into force on 1 March 2010 the PSD ha harmonised regulation of the payments market in the EU, the rights and the obligations of providers and users of payment services, by placing the legal basis for the realisation of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).
The PSD was followed by the second Payment Services Directive, the so-called PSD2transposed into national law by the Legislative Decree No. 218 of 15 December 2017 entered into force on 13 January 2018. The main new features introduced by PSD2 concern, on the one hand, the new security procedures for accessing the online account and for electronic payments and, on the otheronew payment services offered in the area of e-commerce and online shopping by banks andi new market players.
The standards that specify The new security measures and secure communication between the parties involved in the provision of payment services regulated by PSD2 are contained in the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/389.
More information on the new security procedures introduced by PSD2 are found in thefographs produced by the ABI for consumers and merchants (links below)as well as atthe appropriate section of the Bank of Italy dedicated to online card payments.
In June 2023, the European Commission published a proposal to revise PSD2. The European legislative process is still ongoing. In addition to following the legislative process, ABI is actively involved in the work at both national and European level, in coordination with the European Banking Federation (FBE).
On the subject of payment cards, it also notes the Regulation 751/2015 (BFR) on interchange fees on card-based payment transactions.
EC Brochure - Your rights when making a payment in Europe
E-commerce and online shopping
How online payments change with PSD2
Guide
29 January 2021Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA)
SEPA and the EPC Schemes
SEPA, or the Single Euro Payments Area in Euro) is the area in which citizens, businesses, public administrations and other economic operators can make and receive payments in euro, both within and across national borders, under uniform basic conditions, rights and obligations, regardless of their location within the SEPA.
SEPA comprises the member countries of the European Union, the three countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) and other non-EEA countries that have autonomously chosen to join SEPA.
Nn 2017, the EPC also started I schema of instant transferneo (SEPA Instant Credit Transfer), realised the scheme One-Leg Out Instant Credit Transfer, and the other related schemes (SEPA request to Pay, SEPA Payment Account Access Scheme, Verification of Payee)with the aim of continuing to contribute to the evolution and atthe standardisation of payments.
Calendario adesione agli schemi EPC_2026
Infografica bonifici istantanei
Additional optional services of SEPA payment schemes (AOS)
The Association also manages the the following additional optional services (Additional Optional Services - AOS) of the SEPA payment schemes, defined according to the rules of the EPC:
- SEPA compliant Electronic Database Alignment (AOS SEDA)
- SEPA Credit Transfer (AOS SCT) routing
Documenti tecnici
Variazioni e cancellazioni in Tabella
- 1
- 2
Payments for Public Administration
THE ABI promotes initiatives aimed at achieving efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the management of payments involving citizens and public administrations, to the benefit of the country system. To reach these objectivesthe Association collaborate so continuedtivo e structuredo with the Institutions and the Public administration.
The PagoPA Platform
PagoPA is the national platform for electronic payments to the public administration that enables citizens and businesses to make payments to public bodies and public service providers in an electronic, multi-channel and standardised manner. The management of this platform has been entrusted to PagoPA S.p.A. pursuant to Decree-Law No. 135 of 2018.
Payments can be:
- requested directly by the organisation by sending a payment notice marked with the PagoPA logo, against a pre-existing debt (e.g. fines, taxes, car tax, health tickets, fees);
- carried out on the citizen's own initiativewithout having previously received a payment notice (e.g. donations or payments for service requests such as a ZTL permit, renewal of an electronic identity card and passport, request for after-school school services). This type of payment is less common than the previous one because their activation is at the discretion of the creditor public bodies, which implement the functionality on their websites.
The service is active 24 Hours on 24 and 365 days a year via the Prestorers dand Payment Services (PSP) adherents of PagoPA.
Le banks cover a key role in this System: out of 412 participating PSPs To PagoPA about 400 are banks, which offer citizens and businesses multiple channels to make this type of payment (both physical, such as ATMs and branch counters) and digital, such as home and corporate banking, banking apps, the io app, the creditor's website and the PagoPA website.
Among the novelties in course of development, the Sepa Request to pay (SRTP) representà a solution of '"warning digital' that will complement the methods already in use (paper notice, appIO) and will be applicable to payments to the PA by both consumers and of enterprises.
The F24/I24 Service
The F24 Service è the service of accepting payment proxies for the unit payments created to allow taxpayers, holders of VAT number e notthe payment of taxes, contributions and premiums, as the imposition of income taxes, the sums due for the registration of rental contracts, VAT, i INAIL premiums, the school fees, etc.
When the F24 Service is executed through the telematic channels of the Revenue Agency takes the name of I24.
The ABI and the Revenue Agency have jointly defined an agreement (so-called Convention) in which they werelite the modes of operation of Service F24/I24 offered by PSPs adherents to customers.
For more information on the F24/I24 Service, please refer to the dedicated section of the Agency's website revenue.
Treasury and cash service
The service relationship between a bank (the so-called 'treasury bank') and a public authority is called 'treasury service'. The basic rules of this service, performed in favour of municipalities, provinces and other local authorities, are laid down in the Testo Unico degli Enti Locali (TUEL).
The service is regulated through a 'treasury convention' agreed between the bank and the institution. The standard text of the treasury agreement, proposed and disseminated by AGID, is currently being revised.
Gthanks to the modern technologies, the exchange of payment orders and other information between banks and institutions takes place med by a specific piattaforma called SIOPE+. THE ABI collaborate constantly with the Ragioneria General of the State, the Bhip d'Italy and l'AGID for the development of this platform.
Le rules e the standards of interview (so-called OPI standard), as well as i related updates, are content neOPI Guidelines e Technical Rules OPIboth published on the of the AGID.
Per gli enti in Tesoreria unica, le risorse degli enti e organismi pubblici sono centralizzate presso la tesoreria statale su conti aperti presso la Banca d’Italia (cd. contabilità speciali) grazie a procedure telematiche.
A partire dal 1° gennaio 2025 è stata avviata la nuova Tesoreria unica telematica (TUT), nell’ambito del progetto Re.Tes. (Reingegnerizzazione delle procedure di Tesoreria) nato dalla collaborazione tra Banca d’Italia e Ragioneria Generale dello Stato (RGS) con l’obiettivo di innovare le procedure della Tesoreria dello Stato, che semplifica le procedure amministrative e adotta tecnologie avanzate per la gestione degli incassi e dei pagamenti pubblici. Questo progetto, prevede che le contabilità speciali di Tesoreria unica, gli altri conti aperti presso la Tesoreria statale, nonché le unità elementari del bilancio dello Stato siano contrassegnati dal corrispondente codice IBAN superando l’attuale sistema, in base al quale le unità elementari del bilancio e i conti di Tesoreria sono collegati alla sezione di Tesoreria provinciale di riferimento.
Other ABI initiatives on payment accounts and services
Basic account and transfer of payment services
The Payment Account Directive - PAD (2014/92/EU), implemented in Italy in the Consolidated Banking Act and Transparency Provisions, introduced rules aimed at strengthening customer protection. Among the various measures envisaged, the PAD, aims to ensure that consumers can:
- widen the possibilities of access to the basic account, also eliminating previous differentiations based on the consumer's residence.
- transfer without charge the services associated with a payment account (transfer of payment services)
ABI, in addition to following the work on the transposition of the Directive, defined agreements and developed sector initiatives, also in cooperation with consumer associations, to foster the dissemination, transparency and knowledge of services related to payment accounts.
Basic account
The basic account is a low-cost, limited-operating payment account designed primarily for those who do not have an account and have essential banking needs. This account is offered free of charge to those who belong to a socially disadvantaged group or are low-income pensioners.
All consumers legally residing in an EU Member State, including homeless consumers and asylum seekers, can apply for a basic account.
Insights
Transfer of payment services linked to an account
Thanks to this service, consumers can request the transfer of all or some of the payment services from the account held with one payment service provider to the account held with another provider. The transfer request can be made directly with the new service provider who, within a pre-defined timeframe, will interact with the 'old' provider to acquire all the necessary information.
The transfer service also offers consumers the possibility of transferring the positive balance of the 'old account' to the 'new account' and of applying to extinguish the 'old' relationship through the new lender.
Transfer Service Authorisation Form
Documenti tecnici
Insights
Initiatives for the third sector
The Italian Banking Association, at the invitation of a number of major international non-profit organisations, promoted an initiative among its members whereby customers who make donations to non-profit organisations via SEPA direct debit are charged free of charge.
Associations that have joined the initiative
Participating payment service providers
Payment of the Special Rai Fee
ABI, together with RAI, has developed an initiative to publicise an alternative way of paying the Special Rai fee. The fee, in fact, can be paid by direct debit from the account.
Relevant initiatives on cards
ABI, in agreement with the Association of Payment Service Providers and the most representative merchant associations, signed a Protocol to promote the digitisation, modernisation and competition of payment services.
With this objective in mind, the Protocol aims to mitigate the costs associated with card payments and to make information on card transaction costs clearer, more comparable and more intelligible.
ABI and Associations protocol on reducing POS costs