Supervision release 1 April 2020 – 15/2020

Additional time for reporting of e-commerce card-based transaction statistics

The Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) is monitoring the progress of migration to strong customer authentication in e-commerce card-based payment transactions, in accordance with the European Banking Authority (EBA) Opinion published in October 2019. As part of this monitoring, in February 2020 the FIN-FSA sent a questionnaire to card issuers and acquirers on the collection of e-commerce card-based transaction statistics for the period 14 September 2019–13 March 2020 and on communications measures taken in the early part of the year regarding migration to strong customer authentication.

Due to the coronavirus situation, the EBA published on 25 March 2020 a statement containing recommendations to the financial sector on consumer and payment issues. In the statement, the EBA also states it will grant additional time for reporting of e-commerce card-based transaction statistics.

In accordance with the EBA’s recommendations, the FIN-FSA is changing the deadline and reporting period set for reporting card-based transaction statistics. Card issuers and acquirers are requested to submit e-commerce card-based transaction statistics by 30 June 2020 for the period 14 September 2019–13 June 2020. The data must be reported using the Excel data reporting template previously provided by the FIN-FSA. If a company has branches in other countries, the transaction data should be broken down by branch.

In addition, within the same deadline, entities must describe in a free-form manner the communications measures they have taken during the period January–June 2020 for payment service users and/or e-commerce merchants regarding migration to strong customer authentication.

Responses must be submitted to the FIN-FSA no later than 30 June 2020 by secure email (https://securemail.bof.fi) to the address kirjaamo(at)finanssivalvonta.fi. Responses should be marked with the register number FIVA/44/02.01.03/2019 and entities are requested to indicate the extent to which responses contain information to which the entity’s business or professional secrecy applies.

The FIN-FSA emphasises that the additional time granted applies only the reporting mentioned in this release. The additional time granted for implementing the requirements for and migration to strong customer authentication in e-commerce card-based payments will expire on 31 December 2020. The FIN-FSA will monitor the development of the coronavirus situation and its impact on the financial sector and will reassess the matter as necessary.

For further information, please contact

Heli Mäkitalo, Risk Specialist, heli.makitalo@fiva.fi or psd2(at)finanssivalvonta.fi.

Background information

On 16 October 2019, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published an opinion according to which all parties to e-commerce card payments must complete by 31 December 2020 their plans for migration to strong customer authentication. In its October opinion, the EBA described how national supervisors should monitor the progress of the different parties in the card payment process in implementing the requirements for strong customer authentication.

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