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As SEPA Slouches Forward, Europe’s Retail Banks Lag Behind

By Vanya Dragomanovich

Plans to harmonize pan-European debit and credit payments under a single zone may be slowed by retail banks struggling to pay for the changes, say industry sources. Last week, the European Parliament formally adopted regulations mandating that financial institutions better reconcile how they send and receive the funds beginning in 2014. The plan, known as the Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA), is intended to expedite credit and debit transfers and eliminate transactional costs among 32 participating European nations. But not all banks are likely to meet that deadline, according to Marc Pomes Bordedebat, senior market manager payments for the Society...

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