Daily Dash: North Macedonia And Moldova Join SEPA Payment Schemes

The European Payments Council (EPC) has approved the inclusion of North Macedonia and Moldova in the geographical scope of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) payment schemes.

With this expansion, SEPA now covers 40 countries, allowing financial institutions in North Macedonia and Moldova to participate in SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT), SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) and SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) transactions.

SEPA was established in 2008, and harmonises Euro-denominated payments across participating countries, so that transactions are more seamless. 

Countries that wish to advance their path to EU membership must be part of SEPA before admission. 

Financial institutions from both countries can begin adhering to SEPA schemes from April 2025, with full operational readiness set for October 5, 2025.

This follows the inclusion of Montenegro and Albania in November 2024.