The NPC announces that the 2025 versions of its payment schemes, the NPC Credit Transfer Scheme Rulebook and the NPC Instant Credit Transfer Scheme Rulebook, together with the related Implementation Guidelines (IGs), have entered into force on October 5, 2025.
The Rulebooks were originally published in November 2024, providing the market with one year to prepare for implementation.
Exceptional October entry-into-force date
The go-live date is exceptional as the European Payments Council (EPC) set an earlier entry-into-force date in October (rather than the usual end of November) to align with the new Regulation (EU) 2024/886 on instant credit transfers in euro. To maintain alignment, the NPC has chosen the same entry-into-force date as the EPC for all five SEPA Schemes.
After careful consideration, the NPC decided to adopt the same entry-into-force date as the EPC for all SEPA Schemes, ensuring continued alignment between the Nordic and SEPA payment ecosystems.
Important notice on address format
The 2025 NPC Rulebooks introduce the option for payment end-users to provide the address of the Originator (payer) and/or Beneficiary (payee) in a hybrid format, in addition to the existing fully structured and unstructured formats.
However, it is important to note that as of November 15, 2026, unstructured address formats will no longer be permitted. From that date onward, only fully structured and hybrid address formats will be allowed.
Further guidance on the address format specifications is available in the NPC document “Clarification Paper: NPC Credit Transfer and NPC Instant Credit Transfer v.3.1.”
You find the NPC Credit Transfer and Instant Credit Transfer schemes here:
nordicpaymentscouncil.org/npc-schemes/npc-credit-transfer-scheme-rulebook/
nordicpaymentscouncil.org/npc-schemes/npc-instant-credit-transfer-scheme-rulebook/