Verification of Payee sits at the intersection of payments, regulation and fraud prevention, so it borrows terms from all three. Here are the ones worth knowing, defined simply.
Core terms
- Verification of Payee (VoP): a check that the name on a payment matches the account holder behind the IBAN, before the payment is sent.
- Confirmation of Payee (CoP): the UK's name-check scheme; VoP is the EU equivalent under the Verordening instantbetalingen.
- IBAN: the International Bank Account Number that identifies the destination account.
- SEPA: the Single Euro Payments Area, the set of countries and rules for euro payments.
Outcomes
- Match: the name and account holder agree.
- Bijna overeenkomst: a near match, such as an abbreviation or word order difference.
- Geen overeenkomst: the names do not agree.
- Verification not possible: the payee's bank could not provide an answer.
VoP vs CoP
They solve the same problem - confirming the payee name. CoP is the UK scheme; VoP is the EU scheme mandated by the Verordening instantbetalingen.
Regulation and fraud terms
- Verordening instantbetalingen (IPR): the EU regulation that makes VoP mandatory for euro credit overboekings.
- APP fraud: authorised push payment fraud, where a victim is tricked into sending money to a fraudster's account.
- PSP: payment service provider - a bank or fintech that moves money.
- EPC: the European Payments Council, which publishes the VoP scheme rulebook.
Where to go next
With the vocabulary in hand, the rest of the topic is easier to follow. Start with what VoP is and how the four outcomes work, then explore the regulation and integration guides.