German Central Bank publishes article on the SEPA Card Clearing Framework

In the Spring Edition of the Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems, the German Central Bank (Bundesbank) recently published an article on the SEPA Card Clearing (SCC) Framework. The authors, responsible for policy issues relating to retail payment systems, argue why the SCC Framework allows European merchants to accept a variety of SEPA-compliant card brands and products, and choose from a variety of acquirers without being artificially constrained by legal, technical or procedural aspects associated with the respective card schemes. As such, the SCC Framework allows a clear 'unbundling' of card schemes and processing in the Acquirer-to-Issuer domain, supporting open and fair competition with lowered market entry barriers for new players.

The publisher of the Journal has kindly allowed the Berlin Group to make the Bundesbank article available via its website. Henry Stewart Publications (www.henrystewartpublications.com) is a leading publisher of vocational journals with in-depth contributions, actionable analysis, real case studies and applied research from senior practitioners and respected consultancies. The Bundesbank article on the SEPA Card Clearing Framework can be downloaded here.