Overview

• The free digital guide, part of the Trasparenza semplice initiative, is now available on the ABI website for all consumers.
• It explains that SEPA instant transfers deliver funds in under ten seconds, operate 24/7 across the SEPA area and cannot be reversed once confirmed.
• The guide maps out legal milestones requiring banks to accept instant transfers from January 9, 2025, and roll them out on all customer channels by October 9, 2025.
• It warns that the speed and irrevocability of instant payments heighten exposure to phishing, fake marketplace scams and other online fraud.
• Upcoming real-time checks will match IBANs with account holder names, a mandatory fraud-mitigation control set to launch by October 2025.