[Brussels, Tuesday 20 June 2023] – Sopra Steria, a European leader in digital transformation, reaffirms its central role as the trusted homologation body for the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) Request-to-Pay scheme (SRTP). This homologation enables financial institutions and service providers to offer safer and faster payment services within SEPA. Sopra Steria is celebrating the homologation of CaixaBank, the first European bank to successfully complete the SRTP homologation process, together with the homologation of Iberpay, which becomes the first SRTP Referenced Technical Solution Provider.
The introduction of the SEPA Request-to-Pay scheme by the EPC marks a significant milestone in the evolution of payment systems. Designed to streamline business transactions and payment execution, SRTP serves as a standardised messaging system that bridges the gap between payers and payees. With the SRTP Rulebook and Implementation Guidelines, service providers (which can be Payment Service Providers (PSPs) or non-PSPs) can seamlessly request payments, ensuring greater harmonisation across SEPA.
To join the SRTP scheme, service providers are required to undergo a formal acceptance. The EPC has established an adherence process, which includes the vital step of SRTP scheme homologation. In this regard, the role of the homologation body has been entrusted by the EPC, following public Request for Proposal, to Sopra Steria Group. As the designated authority, Sopra Steria diligently assesses applicants’ technical, operational, security and business continuity capabilities in line with the requirements of the SRTP scheme’s Rulebook and related Implementation Guidelines. Applicants gain the advantage of a simplified homologation process when they are already licensed and overseen by a SEPA authority or when they use the services of a Referenced Technical Solution Provider to offer scheme-based services.
Today, we celebrate the successful participation to the SRTP scheme of CaixaBank who is following the pioneering participants: Pine & Cone from Finland and Monei Digital Payments from Spain. All participants have successfully completed the homologation process conducted by Sopra Steria Group. Furthermore, we are delighted to announce that Iberpay became the first Referenced Technical Solution Provider officially listed on the EPC website.
These new actors demonstrates that the SRTP scheme, as a messaging scheme on top of the payments ones, and with the set of the functionalities included in the version 3.1 of the Rulebook, is now steady and ready to take off. The EPC expects that a relevant number of service providers) will apply in the next future to become SRTP scheme participants and hence extend their service portfolio with SEPA Request-to-Pay.
For detailed information about the SRTP scheme and the adherence process, please visit the EPC website. To learn more about Sopra Steria's comprehensive homologation process and our commitment to excellence in digital payment solutions, visit Sopra Steria’s website.