How to check if a bank supports SEPA Instant
Three steps to check whether a payee's bank can receive instant transfers, starting from the BIC or the IBAN.
- Get the bank's BIC. It appears on invoices or in the payee's bank details. If you only have the IBAN, our IBAN bank lookup extracts the bank code and, in countries with an available official directory, shows the institution and its BIC.
- Look it up in the EPC register. The SEPA Instant checker searches the official list of participants, updated daily. If the exact BIC is not listed, we also check the head office BIC (ending in XXX).
- Check the date. Some institutions are listed with a future joining date: until that day they do not accept instant payments.
If the bank is not listed
A bank missing from the list may still receive instant payments through another institution in its group or an agent bank. In the euro area, regulation has required banks to receive instant payments since January 2025. For large payments, confirm with the payee's bank or your provider.
For many payees at once
If you pay many suppliers, talk to our team: we can help you automate checks and payouts.