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Payment Systems Forum

The Payment Systems Forum is an advisory structure of the Banco de Portugal that brings together the main national stakeholders involved in the supply and demand of payment services and as well as General Government representatives. Its mission is to contribute to the implementation of safe, efficient and innovative payment solutions in the Portuguese market.

The Forum seeks to respond to the challenges of the retail payment market, by promoting an atmosphere of cooperation amongst its diverse stakeholders. Particularly, it aims to achieve common positions agreed by its members, as well as identifying strategic themes and priorities, while setting out measures to accomplish them.

The Payment Systems Forum has links to several bodies, both national, such as the Payment Systems Interbank Commission (Comissão Interbancária para os Sistemas de Pagamentos – CISP) and European, such as the Euro Retail Payments Board (ERPB) and the European Forum for the Innovation in Payments (EFIP).

Established in 2009 with the purpose of working towards migration to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) in Portugal, the Forum was re-launched in 2018, with a new mandate and a new structure of participants.

National Strategy for Retail Payments

The National Strategy for Retail Payments | 2022 Horizon was designed under the aegis of the Payment Systems Forum and aims to contribute to the adoption of secure, efficient and innovative payment solutions in the Portuguese market, accessible to all.

The strategy should guide the actions of the different stakeholders in the payments market until the end of 2022 and is built around four pillars:

  • To promote a better-informed society; 
  • To enhance the benefits of digital transformation; 
  • To contribute to a regulatory framework that fosters innovation and efficiency;
  • To adopt more secure payment solutions.

Each pillar consists of a set of actions that the Forum sets out to develop together with other market operators.

Composition of the Payment Systems Forum

The Forum brings together the main national stakeholders involved in the payment services’ supply and demand and as well as General Government representatives:

  • Supply of payment services: (i) three banks that are part of the Payment Systems Interbank Commission, on rotation for periods of two years; (ii) one bank that is not part of the Payment Systems Interbank Commission, on rotation for periods of two years; (iii) the Portuguese Banking Association (Associação Portuguesa de Bancos – APB); (iv) the processing entity appointed by the Banco de Portugal for the Interbank Clearing System (Sistema de Compensação Interbancária – SICOI); (v) one representative of a payment institution; (vi) one representative of an electronic money institution; (vii) two representatives of international card schemes; and (viii) one representative of a credit financial institution;
  • Demand for payment services: (i) one representative of the association for consumer protection (DECO); (ii) one representative of the association of specialised credit institutions (ASFAC); (iii) representatives of the corporate sector whose activity is relevant for the issues dealt with by the Forum, covering different sectors of economic activity;
  • General government: (i) representatives of central government bodies whose activity is relevant for the issues dealt with by the Forum; and (ii) one representative of local government (municipalities).

 

In addition to the Banco de Portugal, who acts as chair, the Forum’s composition is the following:

Payment Systems Forum Composition

Other initiatives held by the Forum