meta_id 3263991

On June 23, 2026, the Central Bank of Malta published a Notice on the Supervisory Expectations on Fraud Risk Mitigation in the Instant Payments Environment addressed to payment service providers (PSPs) operating in Malta. The publication follows the entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2024/886 on instant credit transfers in euro (the Instant Payments Regulation or IPR), which introduces measures aimed at strengthening security and consumer protection in instant payments. The Notice sets out the Central Bank's supervisory expectations regarding the prevention, detection and management of payment fraud, with particular focus on authorised push payment fraud, impersonation scams and other emerging fraud typologies. The supervisory expectations cover transaction monitoring, customer authentication, payment verification processes, spending limit management, device registration controls, customer awareness initiatives, information sharing arrangements, staff training, and governance and oversight arrangements. The guidance is designed to promote the adoption of effective risk management practices and strengthen protection of payment service users as the payments sector continues to evolve towards a real-time environment. The Central Bank considers these supervisory expectations an important step towards the future fraud prevention framework envisaged under the forthcoming Payment Services Regulation (PSR), which is expected to further strengthen fraud monitoring, intervention and consumer protection measures across the European Union. Payment service providers must review their existing controls and align their fraud prevention frameworks with the supervisory expectations by July 1, 2027. The publication forms part of the Central Bank of Malta's ongoing efforts to support a secure, efficient and resilient payments ecosystem and enhance consumer confidence in electronic payments.