Altroconsumo and Satispay fight IBAN discrimination in Italy

Altroconsumo, Italy’s largest independent consumer organization, and Satispay have presented findings regarding illegal IBAN discrimination during a meeting at the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

IBAN discrimination occurs when companies, entities, or platforms refuse payments because an IBAN is not from the user's specific country, even if it is a valid account within the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). This practice affects individuals working abroad, those using banks based in different EU member states, or anyone attempting to use a non-national account for essential services such as utilities, telephony, or tax payments.

Under Article 9 of Regulation 260/2012, entities accepting transfers or direct debits are prohibited from discriminating against accounts based on their country of origin. The initiative aims to promote a true single payment market where citizens can operate across the SEPA zone using a single account without the necessity of opening national accounts in every country.