Skopje, 7 October 2025 (MIA) - As of Tuesday, Macedonian citizens and businesses make payments with countries that are part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) in a faster and cheaper way. The SEPA accession has enabled domestic banks to integrate in the European payment schemes that include service providers from 40 other countries.

National Bank Governor Trajko Slaveski has said that SEPA enables citizens and businesses to make euro payments in the same way as European Union member-states.

The National Bank says nine banks are fully prepared to start with SEPA payments from the onset of October - NLB Banka AD Skopje, Stopanska Banka AD Skopje, Komercijalna Banka AD Skopje, Sparkasse Bank AD Skopje, Halkbank AD Skopje, ProCredit Bank AD Skopje, TTK Banka AD Skopje, UNI Banka AD Skopje and Centralna Kooperativna Banka AD Skopje. The remaining three banks in the country are working on integration in the SEPA scheme and are expected to complete the process by the first quarter of 2026 at the latest, as per the deadline set by the central bank.

According to the official tariffs of the nine banks, euro payments with SEPA states are substantially cheaper compared to the existing correspondent banking, whereas banks offer lower fees for online payments compared to on-site payments.

On average, citizens will pay six-fold less to banks for an electronic payment in the amount of EUR 500 to SEPA countries, i.e. Mden 260 (EUR 4.2) instead of Mden 1,600 (EUR 26) via the correspondent banking system. Regarding incoming payment of the same amount from SEPA countries, citizens will pay twice as less, namely Mden 140 (EUR 2.3) instead of Mden 280 (EUR 4.6), says the National Bank.

Costs for businesses will also drop significantly. For example, payments to SEPA countries in the amount of EUR 20,000 will cost up to eight times less, namely Mden 570 (EUR 9.3) instead of Mden 4,740 (EUR 77), while for incoming payment of the same amount from SEPA countries, businesses will pay three times less, namely Mden 390 (EUR 6.3) instead of Mden 1,180 (EUR 19.1).

Photo: National Bank