11 October 2023

Safe migration to new SEPA formats in version 3.7

The SEPA payment transaction formats for German credit institutions, which will be valid from 19 November 2023, have been fundamentally revised.

Extensive testing is therefore necessary to introduce the new format version into existing software systems.

With the update of the BL Format Checker, the appropriate tool is now available.

Also the client and server solutions as well as the test systems of the software house Business-Logics, based in Hilden, Germany, already support the new format standard.

Change of the basic formats to ISO standard 2019

The SEPA standard of The German Banking Industry Committee (DK) is defined in appendix 3 of the DFÜ agreement together with the respective schema versions (TVS). As of November 19, 2023, the specification in version 3.7 applies to payments for corporate banking in Germany.

BL Format Checker for DK-SEPA version 3.7

The current formats for credit transfers, direct debits as well as payment status reports are now based on the ISO 20022 standard of version 2019 and thus differ significantly from the previous versions.

While the schemas pain.001.001.03, pain.008.001.02 and pain.002.001.03 from ISO version 2009 were used as a basis for the DK 3.6 formats, they are now pain.001.001.09, pain.008.001.08 and pain.002.001.10.

Testing needs for new SEPA formats

In particular, the adjustment to the basic format represents a major change for many software systems. Before the change to the new formats can take place, the correct generation of the payment files must be ensured.

The current version of the BL Format Checker is available specifically for this scenario. The software validates payment files both according to the corresponding schema (XSD) and with regard to the verification rules defined in appendix 3 of the DFÜ agreement.

Further information as well as the program itself can be obtained directly from the sales department of the manufacturer Business-Logics.

EBICS software for format version 3.7

In addition to the BL Format Checker, various other standard products of the Hilden-based software house for electronic payments already support the current SEPA version, including:

If you are interested, Business-Logics sales will be happy to provide you with information about all products.