TIRANA, Aug 5 /ATA/ – The Bank of Albania has drafted a new regulation to set limits on fees for cross-border payments under the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), as the country prepares for full SEPA integration.

The proposed regulation, titled “On Fees for SEPA Cross-Border Payments and Transparency Conditions,” aims to align charges for SEPA transactions with those applied to domestic euro transfers processed through the central bank’s systems.

Under the new rules, the minimum fee for domestic euro transfers via the AIPS Euro system will be reduced from 6 euros to 4 euros.

Additionally, total charges for transfers up to 150,000 euros must not exceed 0.02% of the transferred amount.

To encourage the use of electronic channels, the regulation proposes halved fees for online transactions. For domestic euro transfers executed through e-banking, the minimum fee must not exceed 2 euros, while total charges for transfers up to 150,000 euros will be capped at 0.01% of the amount.

Maximum fees for domestic euro transfers will remain unchanged: 50 euros for in-branch transactions and 25 euros for those conducted electronically. These ceilings will also apply to outgoing SEPA transfers.

For incoming SEPA payments, if fees are applied by the recipient’s payment service provider, they must reflect actual costs and in no case exceed 3 euros per transaction.

The regulatory changes are part of Albania’s broader effort to harmonize payment systems with EU standards ahead of deeper financial integration.

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