The European Payments Council (EPC) has launched a public call for interest to identify Directory Service Providers with directories of BICs, official national identifiers and/or IBAN ranges, including the capability to retrieve BICs from IBANs, to collaborate on validating routing algorithms used by Verification of Payee (VOP) scheme participants when issuing VOP requests. The collaboration is intended to support the EPC Directory Service (EDS), a centralised platform within the VOP scheme that stores scheme participants’ information used to securely identify and authorise participants, and to support reachability and interoperability at VOP scheme level. The EPC’s stated objectives include verifying the availability of the required dataset (Account Holding BICs) for correct EDS configuration in line with EPC specifications, and testing options for implementing the IBAN-to-BIC mapping algorithm needed to route VOP requests. Interested Directory Service Providers are invited to submit a completed response form (EPC194-25) by 18 July 2025 (midnight Brussels time), following the EPC’s submission instructions.
European Payments Council 2025-07-07
European Payments Council launches call for interest for directory providers to support EPC Directory Service and Verification of Payee routing
The European Payments Council (EPC) seeks Directory Service Providers with directories of Bank Identifier Codes (BICs), national identifiers, and IBAN ranges to validate routing algorithms for the Verification of Payee (VOP) scheme. This initiative supports the EPC Directory Service, ensuring secure participant identification and enhancing reachability and interoperability within the VOP scheme. The EPC aims to verify Account Holding BICs and test the IBAN-to-BIC mapping algorithm for routing VOP requests.