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Business transactions and bank interfaces (FinTS/XS2A)

This documentation is still being compiled. The article will be revised and supplemented with illustrations shortly.

The Business Transactions toolbar action of a FinTS/XS2A bank connection shows which payment types the bank supports per account, and defines which bank interface is used for credit transfers, direct debits and data retrieval. A bank connection is selected in the list and Business Transactions is clicked in the toolbar.

Choosing the bank interface

Depending on the bank, a bank connection may be reachable via several bank interfaces. The selector at the top of the window is used to switch between the available interfaces; the payment types and properties shown below always refer to the currently selected interface. Possible interfaces are:

  • XS2A – the modern bank interface introduced under PSD2.

  • FinTS – the established German online banking procedure (formerly HBCI).

  • Web scraper – retrieval via the bank's online banking website, if none of the other interfaces is available.

Which payment types are possible depends on the respective interface – the same bank may allow different operations via XS2A and via FinTS.

The four tabs at a glance

  • Upload – shows, per account, which credit transfer and direct debit types the bank supports for payment submission (display only).

  • Available – shows, per account, the generally available functions, including the retrieval of account information (display only).

  • Bank interface – shows the properties and restrictions of the interface: whether account information can be retrieved (AIS) and/or payments initiated (PIS), which account types are supported, and rules such as mandatory fields and the maximum length of the remittance information (display only).

  • Configuration – the only tab in which something is actually set: which bank interface is used for credit transfers, direct debits and retrieval.

Reading the supported payment types (Upload)

On the Upload tab, each row represents a bank account, with the credit transfer and direct debit types shown next to it as coloured markers:

  • Green = the bank supports this payment type for this account.

  • Grey = not supported.

The information can differ from account to account and reflects the state of the last synchronisation (see below). It is display only – nothing is changed here.

Only SEPA payment types are shown. konfipay only executes payments in the SEPA / ISO 20022 format; purely domestic (non-SEPA) payment types are therefore not listed, even if the bank were to report them.

Credit transfer types

Payment type

Meaning

SEPA Transfer

Standard SEPA credit transfer in euros by IBAN.

SEPA Collective Transfer

Several transfers bundled into a single order.

SEPA Instant Transfer

Credited to the recipient within seconds, around the clock.

SEPA Instant Collective Transfer

Several instant transfers in a single order.

SEPA Scheduled Transfer

Transfer with a future execution date.

SEPA Scheduled Collective Transfer

Scheduled transfer as a collective order.

SEPA IBAN-Only Transfer

Transfer for which the recipient's IBAN is sufficient (no BIC required).

Direct debit types

Payment type

Meaning

SEPA Direct Debit (Core)

Basic direct debit – collection from private and business customers.

SEPA Collective Direct Debit (Core)

Several basic direct debits in a single order.

SEPA Direct Debit (B2B)

Business-to-business direct debit – only permitted between companies.

SEPA Collective Direct Debit (B2B)

Several B2B direct debits in a single order.

SEPA IBAN-Only Direct Debit

Direct debit for which the IBAN is sufficient.

Defining the bank interface for payments and retrieval (Configuration)

On the Configuration tab it is defined which bank interface handles each operation:

  • Credit transfers and direct debits: one bank interface each. Only interfaces that the bank supports for the respective function are available for selection.

  • Retrieval (download): one or more interfaces, assembled via a selection list.

The selection is applied via Save.

If no upload bank interface is configured for a payment type, that payment type is not offered for the bank connection. For retrieval, konfipay automatically selects a suitable interface if none is defined.

Updating the information (Synchronise)

With Synchronise, konfipay refreshes the supported payment types and properties from the bank. The time of the last successful synchronisation is shown at the top of the window ("Last successful synchronization: …").

Pitfall: re-authentication

During synchronisation, the bank may require a fresh sign-in for security reasons. In that case the window closes and the bank connection shows the status "Reauthentication Required" in the list. "Execute action" there triggers a fresh sign-in via the bank's web form. Only afterwards is the synchronisation completed.

Background: the authorisation for automatic updates (the consent at the bank) expires at regular intervals and must then be renewed. As long as it is valid, konfipay updates in the background without any action being required.