General
Introduction
ISO 20022 is the new international standard for electronic payments. From 15 November 2026 it is expected that only SEPA formats of version 3.7 or higher of Annex 3 of the DFÜ agreement will be accepted. This follows a recommendation of the German Banking Industry Committee (DK). Your bank will inform you separately about the details.
What is changing?
The changes affect the following procedures, among others:
-
Foreign trade payments (DTAZV → ISO 20022): The previous .txt files (DTAZV) can no longer be submitted. Payments are captured in .xml format (ISO 20022) only.
-
SEPA credit transfers (pain.001.001.03 → pain.001.001.09): With the new pain format 001.001.09, payee addresses – where provided – must be transmitted in structured or hybrid form.
-
SEPA direct debits (pain.008.001.02 → pain.008.001.08): With the new pain format 008.001.08, payee addresses – where provided – must be transmitted in structured or hybrid form.
|
Procedure |
Previous format |
New format from 15 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|
|
Foreign trade payments |
DTAZV (.txt) |
ISO 20022 (.xml) |
|
SEPA credit transfer |
pain.001.001.03 |
pain.001.001.09 |
|
SEPA direct debit |
pain.008.001.02 |
pain.008.001.08 |
Structured and hybrid addresses
-
Structured address = all elements are held separately: street / house number / postcode / town / country
-
Hybrid address = mandatory: country / town in the dedicated fields; optional: further details (e.g. street and house number, postcode and town) in unstructured address lines
Under the EPC rulebooks, fully unstructured addresses will no longer be permitted in any SEPA procedure from 15 November 2026.
Please look out for information letters from your bank and also inform yourself online about these changes so that you are well prepared.
Implementation in konfipay
konfipay is operated as a cloud solution. We will provide the adjustments required for the changeover centrally and in good time – no update is required on your side. You always work with the current version.
Submitting payment files from upstream systems
Payment files generated in an ERP or other upstream system are submitted via the Import function. During import you first define the import format (SEPA file or foreign credit transfer); konfipay detects the specific file format automatically.
Which import option you choose is decisive for the format changeover:
|
Import option |
Effect on the file format |
|---|---|
|
Import and transfer file |
The original file is taken over and transferred to the bank unchanged. |
|
Import file |
The original file is taken over and can later be transferred to the bank unchanged. |
|
Import payment orders |
Only the individual payments contained in the file are taken over as open orders. The original file is not stored; konfipay generates a new payment file on transfer. |
Important for the changeover: With the options “Import and transfer file” and “Import file”, your bank receives exactly the format your upstream system produces – konfipay does not modify the file. Please make sure that your corporate or industry solution supplies files in the new formats, with structured address data, from 15 November 2026.
Payments captured in konfipay
Payments you capture directly in konfipay – as well as payments taken over via the “Import payment orders” option – are written into a payment file by konfipay itself. We will provide the new formats for this in good time before 15 November 2026; no action is required on your part.
The address fields in konfipay payment capture are already structured. Address data captured there can therefore be transmitted in structured or hybrid form without any changeover.
If you maintain your payment partners via CSV import, pay attention to the import format you use: the standard Windata format does not contain a column for the country. The Travic-Port and HBP formats carry the country as an ISO country code. You can find an overview in the Formats article.
Foreign trade payments
For foreign trade payments, konfipay currently supports both the DTAZV format and ISO 20022. As DTAZV files are expected to no longer be accepted from 15 November 2026, you should switch generation in your upstream system to ISO 20022 (.xml) in good time.
Recommended actions
-
📤 Payment files from upstream systems: If you submit payments as original files, the new formats can already be used today, provided your upstream system produces them and your bank accepts the submission. Make sure address data is included in structured form.
-
🛠️ External industry solution: If you use an external industry solution or ERP system for payment capture, inform your provider about the changes as well.
-
🌍 Foreign trade payments: Check whether you submit DTAZV files and switch generation in your upstream system to ISO 20022 (.xml).
-
🏦 Requirements on the bank side: Clarify with your bank from when the new formats will be accepted for your bank accesses.
-
📇 Payment partner master data: Maintain address data completely – in particular the country. When importing via CSV, note that not every format contains a country column.
We will inform you in good time about any conversion options should an adjustment in your corporate solution not be possible in time.
Conclusion
With the changeover to ISO 20022 on 15 November 2026, older SEPA format versions and the DTAZV format are expected to no longer be accepted. We provide the necessary adjustments in konfipay centrally and in good time – no update on your side is needed. The key point is this: if you submit original files from an upstream system, that system determines the format. Inform connected corporate or industry solutions about the changes early, and maintain address data in structured form.
If you have any questions, please contact our customer service team: support@konfipay.de