The bank
The SECB was founded and obtained a full banking license in 1998. It launched banking operations on January 1, 1999.
The business purposes of the SECB include the provision of a connection to the most important euro clearing systems and the processing of payment traffic in euro, primarily for banks and financial institutions from Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as those from other countries.
In its role as a payments bank for banks, SECB acts as a correspondent for financial institutions. As system manager of the euroSIC system, operated in Switzerland by SIX Interbank Clearing Ltd, it is also in charge of the control and supervision of this system. Furthermore, it functions as a liquidity manager for the system and as a settlement agent for system participants.
The euroSIC system serves the SECB as a processing and settlement system for euro payments within Switzerland and across its borders. It is based on the Swiss SIC interbank payment system for Swiss franc payments and therefore includes all the functions of a RTGS system.
Our values
Our customers are always central to everything we do. We consistently aim to meet their objectives and preferences. We focus on our customers and on understanding their needs, offering them added value, building trust and establishing long-lasting partnerships.
The consistent customer focus and dedication to providing the best possible service make us partners for success and distinguish us from the competition.
Our actions are characterized by reliability, fairness and honesty. We are consequently committed to a results-oriented corporate culture. We always proceed conscientiously and practice long-term, future-oriented thinking.
The SECB's business success is attributable to its employees, who dedicate their knowledge, ideas and abilities. They apply these skills to master changes and ensure the success of the company.
euroSIC statistics
Details
Publications
Annual reports
Disclosure report
Compliance
Services
As a European correspondent bank, the SECB also offers its highly-qualified services to banks who are not euroSIC participants and interested in a central connection to the most important clearing systems within the European Monetary Union and financial institutions in Switzerland.
As an entry point into Switzerland, the SECB offers free routing of payments to all euroSIC participants.
For their payment transactions, SECB customers profit from the geographical reach extending across Europe and the world.
BENEFIT FROM OUR COMPETENCE
SEPA stands for Single Euro Payments Area, which includes 34 nations: the 28 EU member states, the other EEA countries including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, as well as Switzerland, Monaco and San Marino. A differentiation between national and cross-border payments is no longer made in the SEPA zone. The use of standardized means of payment (SEPA Credit Transfers, SEPA Direct Debits) is just as easy, efficient and secure as previous payment methods on the national level.
The SECB and euroSIC offer high-quality and yet very inexpensive solutions for the processing of SEPA Credit Transfers and SEPA Direct Debits. The SECB’s connections to the leading clearing systems ensure the accessibility of banks throughout the SEPA zone for all SECB customers.
The “SEPA Scheme Rulebooks”, approved by the European Payments Council (EPC), form the legal basis for the processing of SEPA-compliant payments in the Single Euro Payment Area. They define the rules, processes and standards for the SEPA payment procedures during the transfer from the debtor to the creditor.
Prerequisite for the participation in the SEPA payment schemes, credit transfers and direct debits is an extra registration to be made for each payment procedure by the respective bank at the European Payments Council (EPC).
For our clients we provide lists of the direct and indirect participants in the SEPA payment schemes in the customer area of this website.
Further information about the European Payments Council and the banks that have already signed an Adherence Agreement can be found on the following websites:
The SECB will be happy to assist you with the registration for the SEPA payment schemes. Please contact our customer services team for further information. The contact details are listed in the adjoining box.
The “SEPA Credit Transfer Scheme Rulebook” by the European Payments Council (EPC) forms the basis for the processing of SEPA-conforming credit transfers. It contains the rules, procedures and standards for SEPA credit transfers.
The SECB executes SEPA credit transfers through the leading existing clearing systems.
The SECB offers the option of default routing to simplify the process at the debtor’s bank. This means that all payments that meet the SEPA criteria will be executed as SEPA payments. By setting an amount limit, the bank can control the threshold amount at which payments should be executed as SEPA payments. Basically, there are no amount limits for SEPA Credit Transfers.
Non-SEPA-compatible payments are executed on the same day through TARGET2.
You can find more detailed information about SEPA Credit Transfers on the following websites:
- SEPA Credit Transfer Rulebook Version 7.2
- SEPA Credit Transfer Scheme Interbank Implementation Guidelines 2019 Version 1.0
Furthermore, our customer services team will be happy to assist with related questions. Their contact details are listed in the adjoining box.
The following documents serve as the basis for the processing of SEPA-compliant direct debits:
- The “SEPA Direct Debit Core Rulebook” (for the Core Direct Debit Scheme) and
- The “SEPA Direct Debit Business to Business Rulebook" (for the Business Direct Debit Scheme) published by the European Payments Council (EPC)
They contain the rules, procedures and standards for SEPA Direct Debits.
The SECB supports the processing of both SEPA direct debit schemes.
The SECB processes direct debit transactions both for the debtor bank and the creditor bank.
You can find more detailed information about SEPA Direct Debits on the following websites:
- SEPA Direct Debit Core Rulebook Version 8.1
- SEPA Direct Debit Core Scheme Inter-Bank Implementation Guidelines Version 8.0
- SEPA Direct Debit Business to Business Rulebook Version 6.1
- SEPA Direct Debit Business to Business Scheme Inter-Bank Implementation Guidelines Version 6.0
Furthermore, our customer services team will be happy to assist with related questions. Their contact details are listed in the adjoining box.
We provide you with the lists of the direct or indirect participants in the SEPA credit transfer scheme (SCT) and the SEPA direct debit scheme (SDD) in the customer area. In order to get to the customer area you need a customer access.
The customer access is provided only to customers who maintain an account relationship with the SECB.
As operators of the euroSIC system, SECB and SIX Interbank Clearing provide a unique combination of settlement bank and clearing system. They provide the processing of euro payments for participating financial institutions within the system and cross-border in real time, with 24-hour availability on all banking days without excessive liquidity requirements and at very attractive conditions.
The advantages of SECB and euroSIC as a central channel for euro payments are obvious:
- Provision of direct connections to all important clearing systems in the European Monetary Union.
- Direct settlement of euro payments with all euroSIC participants within Switzerland, Liechtenstein and other European countries.
- Central online cash management.
- Provision of intraday and/or overnight credits against the pledging of securities.
- Accessibility of the European clearing systems through the option of registering as a participant through the SECB.
- Cost savings through concentration on one instead of diverse bank accounts
- Attractive conditions.
- As a European correspondent bank, the SECB also offers its highly-qualified services to banks who are not euroSIC participants and interested in a central connection to all clearing systems within the European Monetary Union and to financial institutions in Switzerland. As an entry point in Switzerland, the SECB provides free routing of payments to all euroSIC participants.
- For their payment transactions, SECB customers profit from the geographical reach extending across Europe and the world.
Our customer services team is happy to provide you with further information regarding joining and using euroSIC to your advantage. Their contact details are listed in the adjoining box.
All euro payments – within Europe and worldwide – can be processed through the SECB and euroSIC.
The SECB carries out payments with and without routing details.
SECB researches the route for payments that do not contain routing details.
For the ordering bank, the necessity to find an alternative to euroSIC and the SECB is eliminated.
This route researching service is free of charge for euroSIC participants.
Please contact our customer services team for further details. Their contact details are listed in the adjoining box.
With its Guaranteed OUR product, the SECB offers its customers the option of processing cross-border payments that are to be carried out applying the OUR fees option (all fees to be paid by the ordering party) at a flat rate.
This means that the ordering bank is already aware of the foreign bank fees when the order is executed and there is no need to subsequently debit these charges.
Please contact our customer services team for further details about this service. Their contact details are listed in the adjoining box.
Within the scope of the investigation- / query service, the SECB offers the complete processing of investigations and queries for all outgoing and incoming cross-border payments processed through euroSIC.
The SECB provides detailed information about the current status of each query and issues a monthly report about processed queries and the remuneration incurred.
Please contact our customer services team for further details about this service. Their contact details are listed in the adjoining box.
Within the scope of liquidity management in euroSIC, if needed, the SECB provides its customers with liquidity in the form of intraday and/or overnight credits.
This provision is made against the pledging of central bank-eligible assets denominated in euro, which must comply with the European Central Bank's single list of marketable assets for liquidity categories I and II.
BENEFIT FROM OUR COMPETENCE
Career
As operators of the euroSIC system, SECB and SIX Interbank Clearing form a unique combination of settlement bank and clearing system. They provide the processing of euro payments for participating financial institutions within the system and cross-border in real time, with 24-hour availability on all banking days without excessive liquidity requirements and at very attractive conditions.
Would you like to join our team? Our current vacancies can be viewed here.
If there are no vacancies at present, you are welcome to to send us a speculative application at recruiting.secb@six-group.com.
Contact
Unfortunately, we can not receive any contact enquiries at the moment. Please feel free to send us your request under the e-mail address customer-services.secb@six-group.com.
SECB Swiss Euro Clearing Bank GmbH
Solmsstrasse 83
D-60486 Frankfurt am Main
SECB Swiss Euro Clearing Bank GmbH
Solmsstrasse 83
D-60486 Frankfurt am Main