Edinburgh, Milan and Paris, 16 May 2012
Italian banks and e-merchants embrace MyBank e-payment solution
Major Italian banks and e-merchants plan to join the pilot
EBA CLEARING confirmed today at the EBAday conference in Edinburgh and at the e-Commerce Netcomm Forum in Milan the strong support its MyBank epayment solution has secured among key market players in Italy.
The Italian community has embraced MyBank, with the major banks supporting the initiative: Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Banca Popolare di Sondrio, Istituto Centrale delle Banche Popolari Italiane, Iccrea Banca, Banca Sella and BNL – Gruppo BNP Paribas. Together, these banks represent over 75 percent of the Italian payments market.
They will bring with them key Italian household names, such as Banzai.it (Italy’s largest online shopping concentrator), Fratelli Carli (the provider of Italy’s leading mail order olive oil brand “Olio Carli”), IBS – www.ibs.it (Italy’s largest online seller of books) and 24 ORE Group (the main Italian multimedia publishing organisation specialised in business, financial and professional information).
“We look forward to contributing to the implementation of the MyBank solution across Italy in 2013,” said Marco Loro, Head of online & mobile payments, Banca Sella s.p.a.. “We believe this pan-European solution will put our bank and our corporate customers at a competitive advantage in a fully integrated European market. Together, we will be able to offer consumers one highly trusted payment environment for all their online purchases throughout Europe.”
“The Italian e-merchant community is very supportive of this secure and simple e-payment method, which has the potential to be used by consumers everywhere in Italy and throughout Europe,” said Roberto Liscia, President of Italy’s e-merchant association Netcomm. “MyBank will enable the Italian emerchants to more easily expand their business and to also reach customers who do not feel comfortable using any of the existing e-payment methods.”
In this way, the MyBank initiative aims at meeting both the requirements of the Italian government’s digitisation agenda and, at the same time, the European Commission’s policy objectives as stated in its Green Paper “Towards an integrated future for card, internet and mobile payments”.
“Since the time we announced our project at EBAday last year, there has been growing support for the idea of putting in place a pan-European online banking based e-payment solution,” said Giorgio Ferrero, Chairman of EBA CLEARING, at the Company’s Shareholders Meeting held in Edinburgh on 14th May 2012. “The European e-merchant community, which we consulted from the start and which is closely involved in our pilot, welcomed our initiative right away. I would also like to add that an increasing number of national governments and public agencies are beginning to see a Europewide e-payment solution as part of their strategy to improve administrative services while at the same time cutting cost. We are very pleased that everything is ready for the launch of the MyBank Pilot on 4th June, only a year after we launched this e-payment initiative.”
The announcement of the EBA CLEARING Chairman was followed by the successful sending of the first MyBank test transaction between two banks, which took place at EBAday on 15th May 2012. The demonstration involved the French BRED Banque Populaire and Istituto Centrale delle Banche Popolari Italiane (ICBPI) and marked a prelude to the technical pilot phase of the MyBank project in early June 2012. It is planned to successively make available the MyBank solution to consumers across Europe from early 2013 on.
ABOUT MYBANK
MyBank is an electronic payment solution that will make it easier and safer to sell and buy goods and services over the Internet at a pan-European level. The solution will enable customers to pay for their online purchases via their regular online banking environment or payment application.
In a first phase, MyBank will support the initiation of SEPA Credit Transfers and the creation of SEPA Direct Debit e-mandates, but the solution is multifunctional, so payment initiation via other devices (e.g. smart phones, tablets) and for transactions in other currencies may follow at a later stage.
For additional information about MyBank, please visit: www.mybankpayments.eu
ABOUT EBA CLEARING
EBA CLEARING is a provider of pan-European payment infrastructure solutions. The Company is owned by 65 of the major banks operating in Europe. EBA CLEARING manages the largest processing infrastructure for euro retail payments in terms of participation: over 4,700 banks across Europe are connected to one or more of its STEP2 SEPA Services.
For additional information about EBA CLEARING, please visit: www.ebaclearing.eu
ABOUT THE ITALIAN E-MERCHANTS
Banzai is the largest online seller of consumer goods in Italy through its brands ePRICE and SaldiPrivati. The value proposition includes low prices, endless catalog, deep discounts through private sales and a distinctive distribution channel of 50 Pick&Pay in major Italian cities. ePrice is the largest e-tailer of electronics, appliances and household goods. SaldiPrivati is a leading online outlet, selling apparel, shoes, accessories, kidsware and more. Banzai is also a recognised leader in vertical media, with leading brands such as Studenti, Giallo Zafferano and Liquida. It reaches more than 14 million unique visitors each month.
IBS.IT, founded in 1998, is the leading Italian site in online sales of books and audiovisual products: it offers over 6 million products, including books in Italian and English, eBooks, music CDs, MP3, DVD, Blu-ray and video games
Fratelli Carli, founded in 1911, is the Italian leader in mail order marketing of olive oil and other foodstuffs. For over 100 years, the company has contributed to the Mediterranean table culture by serving the most demanding customers in Italy and in many countries abroad.
24 ORE Group is the main Italian multimedia publishing organisation specialized in business, financial and professional information. Gruppo 24 ORE is the editor of the newspaper Il Sole 24 ORE, the business daily leader in business, financial and regulatory information. The range of information it offers integrates with the Radiocor press agency, Il Sole 24 ORE portal and the Radio 24 radio station. The Group has a strong competitive market edge as far as services to professionals and companies and specialised publishing are concerned, through its books, magazines, databanks, online services, training courses and management software. In addition to this, the Group has made its own presence felt in arts publishing, in the organisation of cultural exhibitions and events and in the management of prestigious photographic collections through Alinari 24 ORE and 24 ORE Cultura.
Netcomm is the first and only Consortium of Electronic Commerce in Italy and counts among his associates the most important companies. Netcomm promotes initiatives that contribute to the knowledge and dissemination of electronic commerce, as well as services and technologies. Among the objectives of the consortium is to remove barriers that limit the development of sector, is to implement projects, to promote communication and chain logistics / distribution, both by promoting digital literacy to businesses and consumers.
The "Netcomm Seal", created in 2010, is only available on e-commerce sites that comply with the law and with specific safety and transparency standards. The "Seal" guarantees consumers a safe and convenient purchase.
E-Commerce Forum is an annual event dedicated to the Netcomm world of electronic commerce and for those working in the sector and the companies that understand and know the techniques and opportunities for online sales. It is a day of confrontation in which market data, success stories, seminars and workshops are presented and networking with companies, suppliers and consultants is facilitated.
Netcomm Consortium was founded in 2005, is a member of Assinform and part of Confindustria Digital and now wants to be a major player in the innovation process of our country.