The changeover of electronic payments in Austria is progressing in leaps and bounds.
Many banks already offer their corporate customers the modern EBICS technology.
The selection of the right software is decisive for a smooth transition.
EBICS in Austria
The replacement of the electronic banking procedure MBS by EBICS was a done deal latest when Austria joined the EBICS society in July 2020.
For users, the urgent question now arises as to which EBICS program best covers their own requirements.
But also for credit institutions and payment service providers that do not yet support the procedure, it is time to choose a future-proof EBICS system.
Requirements of the PSA
The currently valid specifications for Austria can be found on the EBICS website of PSA Payment Services Austria GmbH. The document on EBICS implementation in Austria, available in the download area, lists the recommendations for manufacturers and users in compact form.
Essentially, the specifications are based on the German standard in version 3.0. Apart from a few deviations, e.g. with regard to individual formats (tax office payments, postal cash/Postbar payments) or the provision of customer information via Customer Information Messages (CIM), the differences mainly concern country-specific assignments in the BTFs.
Advantages of EBICS
European standard
EBICS offers much more than just a secure procedure for electronic banking. Its introduction in Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria, as well as its availability at many credit institutions in other countries, makes EBICS meanwhile the de facto European standard.
Available software
For users, this means above all that they can choose from the large portfolio of all providers. In particular, established programs are available that have been continuously developed over many years. Often, companies also use ERP systems, with which payment files are created and which in turn also process advices and account statements. For this scenario, only a simple EBICS interface is required for sending files and fetching statement information.
Flexible application options
Another advantage of the new standard is that several solutions — even from different manufacturers — can be used smoothly side by side. In accounting, for example, client software for manual entry of payments can be used in parallel with a system for automated processing of invoice runs.
Software from Business-Logics for the Austrian market
EBICS clients
When it comes to payment transactions, many companies still rely on classic standard software for operation on the PC. But also web applications for operation via browser are being used more and more. In addition, pure automation solutions are used, which ensure the connection to the various banks in existing processes.
The software house Business-Logics — based in Hilden, Germany — offers ready-made software solutions for companies for all of the requirements mentioned above. These can also be combined with the EBICS apps for Android and iOS. Users thus have the option, for example, to view account information or approve payments while on the move.
Standard clients
The BL Banking program family as the classic desktop software for the PC can be operated both as a single-user installation and via network installation. In the simple variant BL Banking EDS, users can retrieve and view account statements, and release or cancel payments waiting at the bank via EDS.
In addition to the functions of BL Banking EDS, the program BL Banking can also handle payment entry in many national and international formats, including Austrian tax office payments and postal cash/Postbar payments.
Both programs can run on Windows, Linux and macOS, including terminal server environments.
Web application
A big advantage of BL Banking Web is that it is easy to use in the web browser — there is no need for users to install it. In addition, thanks to the central server installation, all data is always available to all employees. It doesn't matter where the access is from. This makes the program the first choice, especially for employees working from home. The only requirement is a connection to the company network via VPN.
Also BL Banking Web can handle Austrian tax office payments and postal cash payments in addition to standard SEPA and foreign formats.
EBICS apps
The modern and TÜV-certified apps BL Banking for iOS and BL Banking for Android complement the BL Banking products to form a flexible overall solution. The use of the apps is intuitive and specially designed for the smaller screen sizes. Both programs can be easily and securely synchronized with the PC or web version of BL Banking, so that one or more bank connections can be used directly afterwards on the smartphone or tablet.
Automation solutions
If the business processes only require a connection to the banks, this is most easily done via BL Transfer Tool. The program runs on all common operating systems and can be integrated into any system environment.
For more comprehensive automation of payment transactions, the BL Transfer System is available. As a server application, the system supports processing and allows the bank protocols to be evaluated independently. With the help of the evaluation function, notifications can be sent to the responsible employees in the event of an error.
Server systems for banks
BL Banking Server
Credit institutions in many European countries rely on the reliable and high-performance BL Banking Server. The system has been used, among others, since 2019 by the IT service provider Erste Digital to connect Austria's savings banks and Erste Group Members.
BL Clearing Server
For interbank payment traffic and especially for the connection to EBA CLEARING, the BL Clearing Server offers all necessary formats and functions. Main features of the system are stability, performance and security.
BL Real-Time Server
The RT1 platform of EBA CLEARING provides Europe-wide real-time payments for banks and payment service providers. The BL Real-Time Server cluster system supports both the SCT Inst standard and SEPA Request-To-Pay for real-time payment requests.
BL Portal
The multilingual server solution BL Portal enables banks to easily connect all corporate customers in the national and international environment via EBICS with only one application.
