EBA Academy – continuous professional development made by the EBA

Introducing the training program

The payments landscape is constantly evolving. Thanks to changing market expectations, new regulations, shifting economic realities, or emerging technologies, there is never a dull moment in payments. As methods converge and use cases start to overlap, it is becoming increasingly important to have a wide, up-to-date, and holistic view of the transaction banking landscape. Whether you are new to the fascinating world of payments, looking to refine your understanding of payment methods you do not often work with, or are a subject matter expert looking to understand the latest evolutions and industry insights, the EBA Academy training program has you covered.

Through our collaboration with industry experts from a diverse range of organisations, we are pleased to present you with a training curriculum that will further your payments expertise. If desired, the program will also enable you to obtain, upon completion of all modules and an accompanying exam, an “Accredited Payments Expert” certification. This certification will be offered at an extra cost to those with a minimum of three years of demonstrable experience in payments.

Our four-day training curriculum consists of four modules:

  • European Payments 
  • Cross-Border Payments 
  • Cards and Alternative Payment Methods 
  • Trends and New Entrants in Payments 

We will leave no stone unturned, from the basics of correspondent banking to the unfolding growth story of instant payments. While the training is aimed at industry professionals (e.g., product managers, business analysts, payments IT professionals, sales/account managers or consultants), it is valuable and rewarding to everyone interested in payments.

 

The general training

The general training will provide you with a comprehensive, detailed overview of the world of payments, including the context and concept, the relevant framework and future developments. The training consists of the four modules, spanning four days. For each training, we welcome a maximum number of 15 to 20 participants.

 

The certification program

Similar to the general training, the course gives you a complete overview through the four modules. It leads to the certification "Accredited Payments Expert" after successful completion of all modules and the accompanying test. Please contact us if you are interested in the certification.

 

The four training modules

Each module consists of six hours of training and spans one day. Further speakers will be invited for each module:

Lecturers: Kjeld Herreman (lead instructor), designated EBA Group experts

Topics:

  • Introduction to SEPA and its relevant organisations (e.g., the EPC)
  • Regulatory and supervisory context of European payments
  • Introduction to the Euro Banking Association (EBA) and EBA payments-related working groups
  • European market infrastructures, including EBA CLEARING’s pan-European payment systems
  • Introduction to payments messaging and ISO 20022 XML standards
  • Overview of transaction processing steps
  • SEPA credit transfers (SCT)
  • SEPA direct debits (SDD)
  • SEPA instant credit transfers
  • Verification of Payee
  • SEPA Proxy Lookup Scheme
  • Request to pay
  • SEPA One-Leg Out Instant Credit Transfer (OCT) Scheme

Lecturer: Kjeld Herreman (lead instructor)

Topics:

  • Introduction to correspondent banking
  • Nostro/Vostro accounting
  • The regulatory framework for cross-border payments
  • Network management
  • Introduction to Swift and its messaging services
  • The G20 initiative and its targets
  • De-risking in cross-border payments
  • Liquidity management
  • Challenges and principles of currency conversions
  • Cross border payment types (credits, remittances)
  • Charge types
  • Case management

Lecturer: Kjeld Herreman (lead instructor), designated EBA Group experts

Topics:

  • Basic principles and models: Three and four corner models
  • Regulatory framework
  • Introduction to card authorisation, clearing, and settlement
  • The role and overview of card schemes, co-badging
  • Introduction to interchange
  • 3D Secure and Strong Customer Authentication
  • Payment gateways
  • Use of cards in different payment scenarios: PoS/PoI, e-commerce
  • Mobile wallets (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  • Open Banking channels
  • Pay buttons/MyBank
  • Mobile-initiated SCT / SCT Inst
  • European Payments Initiative (EPI)

Lecturer: Kjeld Herreman (lead instructor), designated EBA Group experts

Topics:

  • Overview of change drivers in the payments world
  • Consolidation in payments
  • Changing customer expectations
  • Credit institutions versus Electronic Money Institutions (EMI) / Payment Institutions (PI)
  • Money remittance businesses
  • ACH offerings
  • Open banking – PSD2, SEPA Payment Account Access (SPAA) and Open Finance Framework (OFF)
  • Tokenisation and stablecoins
  • Central Bank Digital Currency and the Digital Euro
  • Introduction to fintechs and bank/fintech partnership models
  • Digitalisation of payment-near instruments and supply chain finance

Upcoming courses

There will be an in-person training course available in the coming months: 

For this training, participants will receive 30 credits according to the EBA's training path to becoming a Payments Expert.

The language of the course will be English. For delegates with payments systems experience, the certification “Accredited Payments Expert” can be obtained after successful completion of all modules, including group assignments, and a multiple choice test (all for a fee of EUR 500). The training will comprise all four modules:

  • Monday, 10:00 - 18:00 CET - Module 1 European Payments
  • Tuesday, 09:00 - 17:00 CET - Module 2 Cross-Border Payments
  • Wednesday, 09:00 - 17:00 CET - Module 3 Cards and Alternative Payment Methods
  • Thursday, 09:00 - 17:00 CET - Module 4 Trends and New Entrants in Payments

Price for all four modules, for EBA Members: EUR 2,400; for non-members: EUR 2,750. The price includes all seminar activities, learning materials, and meals/refreshments during the breaks.

 

Previous trainings:

  • London, UK, 1 to 4 April 2025
  • Paris, France, 17 to 20 March 2025
  • Frankfurt, 27 to 30 January 2025
  • Paris, France, 16 to 19 September 2024 
  • Frankfurt, Germany, 2 to 5 September 2024 
  • Paris, France, 13 to 16 May 2024 

In case you are interested in our training program, but the planned dates do not suit you, kindly let us know. You can also contact us if you wish to hold our training in-house in your institution, or in your region. Your registration on the interest list is free of charge and without any obligation.

Practical information

Our payments training course is aimed at employees from the fields of business and technology strategies, operations, procurement processes, implementation and product management, at consultants in the private and corporate customer sectors, and at specialist and management staff.

The following are ideal target groups for the training:

  • payment officers
  • procurement
  • finance staff
  • risk, compliance and legal staff
  • internal auditors
  • product managers
  • consultants

If you would like to participate in the training program, no prior knowledge is needed. If you would like to gain the certification, it is best that you have acquired a certain basic knowledge/notion of payments. 

We will provide you with pre-course material that we would ask you to read before the start of the training – some papers are mandatory to read, others are optional. They have been carefully selected to introduce the class workshops and to support in-depth discussions with fellow participants.

The program comprises four consecutive training days that each consist of six class hours.

Hours: first day 10:00 to 18:00, second to fourth days 09:00 to 17:00 (includes breaks). Hours are subject to change depending on course location.

The training will be given in English. We can also offer the same training in French. Please contact us if you would need the training to be held in a different language.

The modules are set up as ‘Classroom trainings’ in a group. Participants and the teacher are all present in the same classroom at an agreed time. There is an opportunity for interaction and feedback, both from the participants to the teacher and vice versa. The teaching material consists, among others, of a presentation via the EBA Academy learning platform, supplemented with various other items (such as digital syllabus, presentation, audiovisual fragments, reading material etc.).