SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is a European Union regulatory initiative that will standardise electronic Euro payments to make it easier to transact across Europe. SEPA is a natural step forward following the implementation of the Euro currency in 1999. In total, there will be 33 countries under the SEPA umbrella – comprised of 28 EU Member States, 3 EEA Zone Countries plus Monaco and Switzerland.

EU, Euro zone countries (28)

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

EEA zone countries (3+2)

Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein - plus Monaco and Switzerland

What does SEPA mean for me?

Making payments in Euro to any SEPA Zone country will be the same as making a payment within Ireland. So whether paying your electricity bill here in Ireland or paying for goods or services you purchased in Europe by Direct Debit, the process will be the same as it would at home. The biggest change for customers will be getting familiar with your BIC and IBAN, which will replace your Account Number and Sort Code from February 2014.

Your IBAN and BIC appear on your KBC Current Account Statement. You can also visit the IPSO website where you can do the following;

• Convert a single Irish National Sort Code and Basic Bank Account Number to the related Bank Identifier Code (BIC) and IBAN (International Bank Account Number)
• Confirm the validity of any BIC and IBAN