EMA publications

The EMA frequently responds to government and European consultations on regulation that impacts the e-money and payment services industry. Sometimes, we also express our views on issues that are raised in the public domain where we feel it is important to provide an industry input.

Our publications reflect the views of the EMA as whole; individual members’ views may vary from time to time. The public consultation responses are listed below. For further information on these positions, please contact us.

EMA response to call for inputs for the UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR)

Last year, HM Treasury announced that the Financial Conduct Authority would set up the UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). Following the announcement, the FCA published a “call for inputs” consultation in March this year and organised a stakeholder conference. The EMA contributed to the consultation to assist the Payment Systems Regulator develop its regulatory approach and identify early priorities.

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EMA response to call for inputs for the UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR)Read More »

EMA response to call for inputs for the UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) Read More »

EU parliament votes on multilateral interchange fee regulation and payment services directive

Last week, the Members of European Parliament voted on the Commission proposals for a multilateral interchange fee (MIF) regulation and for the revision of the Payment Services Directive (PSD). The votes were cast at the end of the Parliamentary term and consolidate the position of the European Parliament. …

EU parliament votes on multilateral interchange fee regulation and payment services directiveRead More »

EU parliament votes on multilateral interchange fee regulation and payment services directive Read More »

ECB outlines way forward for European retail payments

Pierre Petit, deputy director general (payments and market infrastructure) of the European Central Bank, has outlined the ECB’s  views on European retail payments. He made his remarks at the EPCA Summit 2014, where he defined the role of the European Retail Payments Board (ERPB) and the follow-up on the SecurePay recommendations on access to payment accounts.

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ECB outlines way forward for European retail paymentsRead More »

ECB outlines way forward for European retail payments Read More »

Wolfsberg Group Guidance on Mobile and Internet Payment Services

Earlier this year, the Wolfsberg Group, a group of the largest international financial institutions, published its Guidance on Mobile and Internet Payment Services. The aim of the paper is to assist financial institutions in their risk assessments for the wide range of companies that offer mobile and internet payment services.

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Wolfsberg Group Guidance on Mobile and Internet Payment ServicesRead More »

Wolfsberg Group Guidance on Mobile and Internet Payment Services Read More »

New York supervisor speech on bitlicense for virtual currencies

A week ago, the New America Foundation organised a meeting on the topic of virtual currencies and regulation in New York. During the meeting, a speech was given by Benjamin M. Lawsky, Superintendent of Financial Services, New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS). He outlined the current thinking on the envisaged bitlicense for virtual currencies in New York.

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New York supervisor speech on bitlicense for virtual currenciesRead More »

New York supervisor speech on bitlicense for virtual currencies Read More »

ECB publishes assessment guide for the security of Internet payments

Last week, the European central bank published the assessment guide for the security of Internet payments. The guide contains a list of the assessment questions that assists payment service providers with the implementation of the European requirements for the security of Internet payments. Payment Service Providers must demonstrate their compliance with these requirements by January 2015.

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ECB publishes assessment guide for the security of Internet paymentsRead More »

ECB publishes assessment guide for the security of Internet payments Read More »

European parliament votes for extended SEPA migration period

Yesterday the European parliament formally approved the European Commission proposal that allows Payment Service Providers six more months in which they may process payment transactions in euros in non-SEPA-formats. The regulation will apply retroactively from 31 January 2014.

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European parliament votes for extended SEPA migration period Read More »

EMA response to the SecuRe Pay recommendations for the security of mobile payments

Last friday, we published our response to the draft recommendations for the security of mobile payments. These draft recommendations were developed by the European Forum on the Security of Retail Payments, SecuRe Pay. This is a group of EU supervisors that are working together to establish a harmonised EU/EEA-wide minimum level of security.

In our response we outlined the following issues:

  • A risk analysis is an appropriate basis for assessing the circumstances when strong authentication is required. A broader approach would take into account a range of factors.

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EMA response to the SecuRe Pay recommendations for the security of mobile paymentsRead More »

EMA response to the SecuRe Pay recommendations for the security of mobile payments Read More »

Strong customer authentication: a flexible approach

In July this year, the European Commission published a proposal for a revised Payment Services Directive (PSD). The proposal requires ‘strong customer authentication’ when someone makes an electronic payment transaction. This validates identity by at least two of the following factors: knowledge, possession and inherence. These are independent, in that the breach of one does not compromise the reliability of the others, and the process also protects the confidentiality of the authentication data.

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Strong customer authentication: a flexible approachRead More »

Strong customer authentication: a flexible approach Read More »

Chinese, French and Dutch regulators outline their positions on bitcoin

This week, a number of regulators have provided more insight into their stance on bitcoin, the digital exchange mechanism. In general, the view is that bitcoins are not regulated and anyone who chooses to use them for purposes of exchange bears a risk in doing so.

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Chinese, French and Dutch regulators outline their positions on bitcoinRead More »

Chinese, French and Dutch regulators outline their positions on bitcoin Read More »