Payment Systems Forum

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.

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:

29 september 2022 – Seminário sobre o Projeto do Euro Digital (reunião extraordinária)

• Agenda
• Síntese

1 July 2022

• Agenda
• Summary
  
  

3 December 2021

• Agenda
• Summary
  
  

27 May 2021

• Agenda
• Summary
• Item 2 – National Strategy for Retail Payments | 2022 Horizon

6 November 2020

• Agenda
• Summary
• Item 2.1 - Presentation of the National Strategy for Retail Payments | 2022 Horizon
• Item 3 - Central Bank Digital Currency - Eurosystem report on a digital euro
  
  

3 December 2019

• Press release of the Banco de Portugal: The Payment Systems Forum debated the “National Strategy for Retail Payments”
• Agenda
• Summary
  
  

7 June 2019

• Press release of the Banco de Portugal: Payment Systems Forum to promote secure and innovative payment solutions
• Agenda
• Summary
  
  

14 September 2018

• Press release of the Banco de Portugal: Payment Systems Forum to promote electronic payments
• Agenda
• Summary
• Item 2 - Payment Systems Forum: mandate and functioning
• Item 3 - Future developments of retail payments in Portugal - challenges
• Item 4 - Payment Systems Forum: Activity Plan