Transfers & Payment Processing

Payment transactions are part of our core business. We cater to your needs – including complex domestic and international transactions.
SEPA Credit Transfer
Internal or external bank transfers within Germany and the SEPA area are usually made via SEPA credit transfers.
International Transfer
SWIFT is a global standard for most major currencies and is typically used for transfers outside the European Economic Area.
Express Transfer
Fast transfers in Euro between accounts of participating banks in the Eurozone.
Your payment on its way to the recipient
Payment transactions go through several steps before they effectively reach the recipient. Our modern infrastructure enables efficient processing in-house. In addition, we rely on a network of strong correspondent banks to process more complex payments.
Step 1: Payment placement by the customer | Step 2: Internal booking HAL
| Step 3: Internal value date HAL | Step 4: Value date recipient
| |
‘You authorise the transfer.’ | ‘We book the amount within our own systems.’ | ‘The amount to be transferred has left the bank.’ | ‘The amount to be transferred has been credited to the recipient's account.’ | |
You can choose between the following transfer types:
•SEPA Credit Transfer •International Transfer •Express Transfer | Up to this step, our bank has control over the processing of the transfer.
In order for the payment to leave the bank as planned, the order must be received by the bank within the specified cut-off times (see ‘How do I estimate the transfer time correctly?’ in the FAQs). | For foreign payment transactions in particular, a time buffer is recommended for processing times of third party correspondence banks, weekends and public holidays as well as any internal checks. |
Details
Domestic and SEPA credit transfers*
Typical Application:
- Internal transfers:
- SEPA credit transfers can be used to settle payments between your various Euro accounts at our bank. Internal SEPA transfers can simply be ordered as a special transfer type ‘Internal remittance’.
- External transfers:
- Common transfers via the SEPA network from your Euro account
- Typically used for low-cost transfers within the European Economic Area (EEA = EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and some other countries.
Currencies:
- Currency of the debit account: Euro
- Currency of the target account: Euro
Execution Types:
- SEPA credit transfer
- SEPA scheduled transfer
- Standing orders
Typical Transfer Time:
- Internal transfers: Internal transfers are settled on the day of the order
- External transfers:
- SEPA transfers are usually received by the recipient bank on the same day on bank working days.
- In exceptional cases they can, however also be received on the following bank working day.
- If you have submitted the payment after our cut-off times (processing times), the period begins on the next bank working day.
- Further information on our cut-off times can be found in the FAQs.
*Execution is subject to the applicable legal framework.
Transfers abroad or in foreign currencies *
Typical Application:
- Internal transfer: International transfers can be used to settle between your various Euro or foreign currency accounts at our bank. Internal transfers are made using the usual IBAN and BIC of the destination account at our bank.
- External transfers: Payment transactions via the SWIFT message standard is a global standard for most major currencies. Typically used for transfers outside the European Economic Area.
Currencies:
- Currency of the debit account: Foreign currencies or Euro
- Currency of the target account: Foreign currencies
Execution Types:
- As soon as possible according to cut-off rules (see our list of prices and services)
- Scheduled Transfer by booking day
- Scheduled Transfer by value day
Typical Transfer Time:
- In addition to the cut-off times (processing times of the bank), the transfer time depends on the availability of the payee's bank and the selected currency, among other things, and can take several days.
- Further information on our cut-off times can be found in the FAQs.
*Execution is subject to the applicable legal framework.
Fastest possible transfers between accounts of participating banks in the euro area*
Typical Application: Fast transfers in euros between accounts of participating banks in the Eurozone.
Currencies: Euro
Execution Types:
- As soon as possible
- Appointment transfer
Typical Transfer Time:
- For transfers within the cut-off times (bank processing times) to an account at a bank with a connection to the TARGET (Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer) system, the amount is normally available to the recipient bank on the same day.
- Your transfers within the cut-off times to banks without access to the TARGET system usually reach the recipient bank on the same or the next bank business day.
- However, the express transfer only works in the SEPA payment area. Not all countries and banks support it.
- Further information on our cut-off times can be found in the FAQs.
*Execution is subject to the applicable legal framework.
FAQ
What types of transfer can I choose from?
You can choose between the following transfer types:
- SEPA Credit Transfer
- International Transfer
- Express Transfer
Which countries belong to the SEPA area?
The SEPA area includes the European Economic Area (EEA = EU countries and additionally Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and some other countries (listed in the applicable price list, which you will find in the general legal conditions).
What is the difference between ‘internal booking’ and ‘value date’?
The term ‘internal booking’ refers to the date on which a transaction is recorded in your account. The ‘value date’, on the other hand, is the date on which the transaction is recognised on your account balance and is now actually available. There may be a time difference between the booking date and the value date – as well as between the value dates of the respective sending and receiving banks.
What are bank working days?
Saturday and Sunday are not bank working days. Bookings are only made from Monday to Friday. Therefore, the times for transfers that you make on such days may be longer. So if you transfer money on Friday, it will only be transferred on Monday. Please note that there may be different national and international public holiday rules that also affect bank working days.
Why do I have to provide the address and name of the recipient for international payment transactions?
International payments are subject to strict regulatory requirements. The information provided must be obtained by us in order to fulfil the requirements of the SWIFT network and thus in particular the recommendations of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) and the EU Money Laundering Directives.
What do I need to know about fees and costs?
Fees and costs can be charged in two ways:
•‘SHARE": Fee sharing between client and recipient.
•‘OUR": The ordering party bears the charges.
With SEPA credit transfers, however, fees and costs are only charged using the SHARE method.
Payments may incur various charges depending on the type of payment, the amount and the banks involved. It is important to be aware of the specific charges for transfers, currency conversions and any additional fees. This information is detailed in our List of Prices and Services under our general legal conditions.
How can internal transfers be made between different accounts at the bank?
SEPA credit transfers can be used to settle payments between your various euro accounts at our bank. Internal SEPA transfers can simply be ordered as a special transfer type ‘Internal bank transfer’.
International transfers can be used to settle between your various euro or foreign currency accounts with our bank. Internal transfers are made using the usual IBAN and BIC of the destination account at our bank. The currency of the payment must match the currency of the destination account. More complicated constellations are possible, but must be processed via foreign exchange transactions with your advisor. Internal transfers are commissioned as international transfers using the usual IBAN and BIC of the target account and, if necessary, other information.
What do I need to know about cut-off times and transfer times for the various transfer types?
A rough estimate of the transfer duration for the individual transfer types can be found in the description of the payment types above.
For international transfers in particular, it can take several days for the payment to be fully completed.
The exact date of receipt of payment can vary as several factors are involved, including the processing times of third party correspondent banks, weekends and public holidays as well as international time zone differences. These factors are beyond the bank's control.
To ensure that your payment is processed as planned, you should take note of the bank's cut-off times and bank working days.
The bank's cut-off times are set out in our SSI (Standard Settlement Instructions).
If you have any questions, please contact your client advisor or use the contact information below.
How are the SSI (Standard Settlement Instructions) to be understood?
The usual standard settlement instructions for our bank's payment transactions are set out in the SSI (Standard Settlement Instructions). The SSIs for the Luxembourg branch and for the German branch are available on request from your client advisor or here at the bottom of the website.
For outgoing payments, our cut-off times are indicated separately in our SSIs for accounts of the German and Luxembourg branches as follows:
- The foreign currency to be transferred is selected in the ‘Currency’ column.
- The cut-off times are displayed in the ‘Cut-off time (CET/MEZ)’ column. Depending on the currency, there are two types of cut-off times:
- The value date (VD) indicates that the transfer will be value dated on the debit account on the same day if the transfer is submitted by the specified time and it is a bank working day.
- The specification VD -1 (Value Date -1) indicates that the transfer will be value dated on the debit account on the following bank working day if the transfer is submitted by the specified time.
You only need all other details in the SSI to coordinate incoming payments to your foreign currency accounts with us. In this case, simply forward our SSI to the bank of the debit account. Our SSI will help the paying bank to specify the payment correctly.
If you have any questions, please contact your customer advisor or use the contact field below.
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