The European Payments Council (EPC) has released the five rulebooks for its 2025 payment schemes, along with the associated Implementation Guidelines (IGs).
These updates will come into effect on 5 October 2025, marking a departure from the traditional November implementation timeline. The October 2025 date aligns with the implementation schedule of Regulation (EU) 2024/886, also known as the Instant Payments Regulation (IPR), which amends Regulation (EU) 260/2012 (the SEPA Regulation).
This adjustment ensures consistency across all relevant EPC schemes, simplifying preparation for Payment Service Providers (PSPs), Clearing and Settlement Mechanisms (CSMs), and technical service providers.
The IPR introduces new obligations for PSPs within the European Economic Area (EEA). Certain provisions will apply to PSPs in the Euro area (excluding Payment Institutions and Electronic Money Institutions) as early as 9 January 2025, and others will take effect by 9 October 2025.
The EPC notes that participants in its payment schemes, along with their technical service providers, will face a shorter timeframe to implement the 2025 rulebooks compared to the usual release and implementation cycle.
The European Payments Council (EPC) has released the five rulebooks for its 2025 payment schemes, along with the associated Implementation Guidelines (IGs).
Changes to address formats in the 2025 rulebooks
A key update in the 2025 rulebooks involves payment end-users’ ability to provide payer and/or payee addresses in a hybrid format, in addition to the previously supported fully structured and unstructured formats.
However, starting 22 November 2026, the unstructured address format will no longer be permitted. After this date, only fully structured and hybrid formats will be accepted. The EPC provides further details on address format requirements in its guidance document titled Provision of Addresses under the EPC Payment Schemes (EPC 153-22). These updates aim to enhance clarity and compliance across the payments ecosystem, particularly in the context of evolving regulatory and technical standards.