The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft technical standards on the separation of payment card schemes and processing entities under Article 7(6) of the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR). The technical standards introduce specific requirements related to the independence of payment card schemes and processing entities. The consultation runs until 8 March 2016.
The EBA draft RTS requires payment card schemes and processing entities to have accounting processes in place to produce annual audited information related to separated balance sheets, and profit & loss accounts; to separate workspaces; and to ensure the independence of senior management, management bodies and staff. It also sets out requirements related to the use of shared services and a shared information management system; the treatment of sensitive information; a code of conduct; and the separation of annual operating plans.
The IFR aims at facilitating the creation of a single market for card payments across the European Union, by ensuring a level playing field that will facilitate greater competition. In order to contribute to this objective, and to ensure effective and sustainable competition among processing services providers, the IFR confers on the EBA the mandate to develop regulatory technical standards (RTS) to separate payment card schemes and processing entities in terms of accounting, organisation and decision making process.
The CP also provides some clarity to market participants as regards supervisory expectations during the period between the application date of Article 7 IFR on 8 June 2016 and the possibly later application date of the RTS.
Next steps
Responses to this Consultation Paper can be sent to the EBA until 8 March 2016, by clicking on the “send your comments” button on the website. The EBA will assess the responses received and use them as input for the development of the final draft RTS, which it will publish in Q2 of 2016.
Legal basis
The Interchange Fees for Card-Based Payment Transactions Regulation (EU) 2015/751 (IFR) entered into force in the European Union on 8 June 2015 and applies from 8 June 2016.
vLink to EBA statement