EPC opens Verification of Payee scheme adherence process

Article summary

The European Payments Council (EPC) has announced the opening of the adherence process for the Verification Of Payee (VOP) scheme. All current and future Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) Credit Transfer (SCT) and SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) scheme participants affected by the amended SEPA Regulation provisions on VOP must adhere to the VOP scheme, register into and fund the EPC Directory Service (EDS). The EPC has introduced three adherence waves to ensure a smooth process before the 5 October 2025 deadline, encouraging participants to start preparations early to avoid last-minute overload. The EPC has also published a toolkit for new VOP scheme participants.