Non-Eurozone EU Banks Hit April Deadline to Receive SEPA Instant Payments

The EU Instant Payments Regulation hit two milestones on April 9: PSPs in non-euro EU member states must now accept inbound SCT Inst payments, and all payment service providers across the bloc face their first annual IPR compliance reporting obligation.

Payment service providers in non-euro EU member states were required to accept incoming SEPA Instant Credit Transfers by April 9, 2026. The deadline extends the Instant Payments Regulation's receiving mandate beyond the eurozone for the first time. Affected member states include Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, and Denmark.

The same date also marked the first submission window for the IPR's annual reporting requirements. All EU payment service providers must submit data on instant payment charges, transaction volumes, and the share of payments rejected due to sanctions screening. Reports follow templates specified by the European Banking Authority in XBRL-csv format.

National competent authorities will forward aggregated data to the EBA and European Commission by October 9, 2026. The reporting obligation under Article 15(3) of the amended SEPA Regulation was originally due in April 2025 but was postponed by 12 months. Non-eurozone EU PSPs face a further deadline of October 9, 2027, to begin sending SEPA instant credit transfers.