meta_id 3122921

On May 4, 2026, the European Payments Council (EPC) published version 1.1.1 of the Verification of Payee (VOP) Scheme Inter-PSP Application Programming Interface (API) Specifications. This update follows a public consultation on urgent change requests identified by the VOP Working Group (VOP WG) following the initial launch of the VOP scheme. The updated specifications address technical issues and clarifications required to support consistent implementation of VOP-related APIs across the inter-Payment Service Provider (PSP) space. Key changes in version 1.1.1 include: restrictions on empty API fields to align with established standards; clarifications regarding character set requirements for VOP APIs; clarifications on timestamp handling; and clarifications on HTTP headers, including content-type handling. These amendments aim to resolve deployment issues that emerged following the VOP scheme's launch and to provide greater clarity on specific elements of the VOP scheme rulebook, API specifications, and API Security Framework (ASF). The specifications cover VOP-related messages, specifically VOP Requests and VOP Responses, in the inter-PSP space only. Version 1.1.1 will become effective on September 20, 2026. Payment service providers and other relevant stakeholders should review the updated specifications to ensure compliance with the new requirements ahead of the effective date. The EPC has made the specifications available for download, along with related API documentation in YAML and JSON formats. Stakeholders with comments or questions regarding the VOP Inter-PSP API Specifications can contact the EPC at [email protected].