National Forum on the Payment System

The NFPS contributes to ensuring safe, reliable, accessible and efficient payment system by:

• discussing developments in payments and the social consequences thereof, including any possible issues.
• working together to collect, analyse and publish information related to the societal aspects (security, reliability, accessibility and efficiency) of payments.
• making agreements in principle on measures to improve the security, reliability, accessibility and efficiency in payments.

The Dutch Minister of Finance established the NFPS in 2002. Since then, it has achieved notable results, such as:

• 2004: agreement on rounding cash payments to the nearest 5 cents, making the 1 and 2 cent coins redundant.
• 2004: publication of a cost study on point of sale payments in 2001, which mapped the social costs of both cash and card payments for payment service providers and retailers. Based on this study, we have encouraged the use of electronic payment means at points of sale.
• 2007: agreement on (compliance with) a socially accepted nationwide accessibility norm of having an ATM available to everyone within five kilometres as the crow flies.
• 2013: creation of the Euro Retail Payments Board (ERPB) by the European Central Bank (ECB). This Board is modelled after the NFPS.
• 2015: publication of the NPFS’ vision on cash, with agreements on the availability and acceptance of cash. These agreements were renewed in 2020.
• 2019: introduction of instant payments after a four-year project led by the Dutch Payments Association and DNB, partly at the insistence of the NFPS.
• 2022: signing a Cash Covenant by a number of members of the NFPS and several other parties including cash service providers. The Covenant contains agreements on the accessibility, availability and acceptance of cash.
• 2023: commitment by – and collective program of – the banks for improving the accessibility of payments, especially for people in vulnerable positions.

The NFPS brings together the main stakeholders in the Dutch payment system. Its participants represent various groups from both the demand side (such as consumers and retailers) and supply side (such as bank and payment institutions) of payment services.

The participants of the NFPS are:

• De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) (chair and secretariat)
• ANBO-PCOB (senior citizens)
• Betaalvereniging Nederland (Dutch Payments Association)
• BOVAG/Vereniging Energie voor Mobiliteit en Industrie (VEMOBIN)/Drive (energy stations)
• Consumentenbond (consumers)
• Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel (CBL) and Raad Nederlandse Detailhandel (RND) (food- and non-food retail businesses)
• Samenwerkende Brancheorganisaties Filantropie (charitable organisations)
• Ieder(in) (people with functional and/or mental impairments and/or chronic illnesses)
• Koepel Gepensioneerden, NOOM, SOMNL, Senioren Netwerk Nederland (senior citizens) and ABC (low-literate people)
• Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (hospitality businesses)
• MKB-Nederland (SMEs)
• Nationale Winkelraad (NWR) (SME retailers)
• Nederlandse Vereniging van Banken (Dutch Banking Association)
• Oogvereniging (visually impaired people)
• Thuiswinkel.org (web shops)
• Verenigde Betaalinstellingen Nederland (payment institutions)
• Verenigde Groot Incassanten (large companies, such as energy suppliers and insurance companies, using direct debits to collect money from the payments accounts of their customers)

The Dutch Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy act as observers in the NFPS.

DNB chairs the NFPS and also provides the secretariat. The NFPS has three working groups.

• Efficiency and European Affairs: this working group focuses on a cost-effective and smoothly functioning payment system. It also assesses European developments and their impact on the payment system in the Netherlands.
• Accessibility and Availability: this working group aims to ensure that payment products and services are accessible and available to all groups in society. Goal is that that all people can participate independently in the payment system as much as possible.
• Security: this working group focuses on the physical safety, digital security and robustness of payments.

There are currently two taskforces operating under the NFPS, notably the Taskforce Digital Euro and Taskforce De-risking.