Serbia has been approved to join the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the European Payments Council (EPC) said on Thursday, marking a key step toward greater financial integration with the European Union.
The EPC said in a statement that the National Bank of Serbia had successfully aligned its payment systems and regulatory framework with EU standards, paving the way for the country’s inclusion in the SEPA schemes.
With Serbia’s admission, SEPA now encompasses 41 countries, including recent additions Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Moldova, all of which joined since November 2023.
“This is our Growth Plan for the Western Balkans in action,” Gert Jan Koopman, Director General at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood, said on social media platform X. “This allows banks to begin technical preparations for low-cost, fast transfers to and from the EU.”
According to the EPC, Serbian payment service providers will be able to adhere to SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT), SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst), and SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) schemes starting in November 2025. The earliest operational readiness date for Serbian financial institutions is projected for May 2026, with an exact date to be announced later.