SEPA instant transfer
Five years after the launch of the instant transfer, financial institutions believe that this service is still largely underused in Europe. The European Commission is now seeking to accelerate the adoption of this technology. So what are the benefits of instant transfers for your business and how can you take advantage of them?
Make transactions in real time
Instant payment, or instant transfer, is a payment method available since 2017 for individuals and for companies in the SEPA zone. It offers the ability to transfer money in seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as opposed to traditional money transfers which usually take 1-3 business days to complete.
With its speed and simplicity, the instant transfer could become the preferred means of payment in the SEPA zone, but it still has certain limitations:
- The amount of a transaction cannot exceed €100,000
- The cost of a transaction is about 0,94 €.
- The risk of fraud is higher since there is no return when a transaction is sent
The use of instant transfers is growing rapidly worldwide, mainly in Asia and America. However, Europe is lagging behind in this domain. To bridge this gap and encourage the adoption of instant transfers, a law is being considered that would, among other things, require banks to offer this service free of charge.
Fluidify your treasury management
The instant transfer is a valuable tool for companies working in BtoC. This fast payment solution can replace credit card or check payments, improving treasury management. For example, for settlement-based deliveries, the supplier can receive payment instantly and deliver the merchandise without delay. Similarly, in the case of a hospital, if a patient wants to have the TV in their room, they can make the payment via instant transfer and the hospital will be able to activate the TV as soon as they receive the payment, without waiting for a check to be processed or the time it takes to verify a credit card transaction.
Furthermore, instant payment will lead to major changes in corporate treasury management, including the elimination of cut-off times for payment transactions (to be processed on the same day), real-time management of payment and collection flows, and day-to-day cash management.
You even have the option of using instant transfer within your company to process salaries. This will contribute to your employees’ satisfaction by reducing waiting times for expense reimbursement or salary advances.
Send your instant transfers in complete security with Exabanque
An instant transfer is as easy to order as a traditional SEPA transfer. You need to know the bank account information of the beneficiary and fill in the following information:
- Debtor’s account number
- IBAN of the beneficiary account
- Transfer amount
- Execution date of the transfer (immediate)
You can send your instant transfers directly on your bank’s application.
But for optimal security, we advise you to use a multi-bank management software such as Exabanque. Our platform uses advanced security protocols to protect your personal and financial data and thus avoid any risk of fraud: verification of beneficiaries’ identity, correction of input errors, payment validation by click and digital signature, etc. Using Exabanque for your banking operations ensures that you can send your instant transfers quickly and with complete confidence.