Berlin Group
Published on
27/08/2026
Updated on
27/08/2026
Reading time
3 min
Definition
The Berlin Group is a European initiative for technical standardization in the payments sector. It develops vendor-neutral specifications for interfaces and data formats—ranging from card clearing to open banking interfaces.
It owes its name to its first meeting in Berlin in October 2004. Today, it comprises around 26 organizations from more than ten European countries: banks, banking and payment associations, national and international payment systems, and interbank processors.
Crucial to understanding this is the fact that the Berlin Group explicitly defines itself solely as a standardization body, not as a payment scheme. It does not mandate the use of its specifications, nor does it participate in their implementation—each market participant decides that for themselves.
The most important standards
NextGenPSD2
The framework for account access by third-party providers under PSD2(opens in new tab), including the EBA’s Regulatory Technical Standards. It has established itself as the de facto standard for Open Banking in Europe: according to the Berlin Group, it has been implemented by over 75 percent of European banks as well as hundreds of third-party providers. eIDAS certificates(opens in new tab), including QWAC(opens in new tab), are used to secure communication.
openFinance API Framework Since January 1, 2021, NextGenPSD2 has been part of this broader framework. It builds on the same technology but goes beyond the mandatory regulatory scope, standardizing additional services. In doing so, it mirrors the regulatory shift towards Open Finance driven by FIDA(opens in new tab).
SEPA Card Clearing (SCC(opens in new tab)) The framework that enables card-initiated transactions to be processed using existing SEPA messages: the collection is executed as a pacs.003(opens in new tab) message, with the card data contained in an additional container. In Germany, this forms the basis for girocard clearing via the SEPA Clearer(opens in new tab).
In addition, the Berlin Group is working on standards for mobile P2P interoperability and tokenization, as well as specifications for authorization and clearing based on ISO 8583.
Differentiation: Berlin Group, EPC, and DK
These three bodies are frequently confused because all three establish rules for payment transactions. However, they do so at different levels.
| Berlin Group | EPC(opens in new tab) | Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft(opens in new tab) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Technical standardization | Scheme owner | National obligation |
| Range | Europe and beyond | SEPA Area | Germany |
| Result | Frameworks, Spezifications | Rulebooks | Data transmission agreement, procedural rules |
| Liability | Voluntary | Binding upon accession | Binding on the German market |
| Accession | No | Adherence including register | According banking terms and conditions |
The EPC defines payment methods as schemes: participants formally join, are listed in the Register of Participants, and are bound by the rulebook. The rights and obligations of the participants are part of the rulebook.
The Berlin Group defines technology, not procedures. There is no formal membership, no registry, and no obligation. A Berlin Group standard becomes effective when market participants adopt it—or choose not to.
The German Banking Industry Committee (Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft) determines the standards applicable to the German market. It is itself represented in the Berlin Group and makes the latter’s specifications binding for Germany by incorporating them into its own sets of rules—for example, the agreement on remote data transmission or the procedural rules for payment transactions.
The interplay is well illustrated by SEPA Card Clearing: a gap emerged after the EPC relinquished its responsibility for cards in 2015 and 2016. The Berlin Group filled this gap with a specification; it was only the decision by the German Banking Industry Committee to adopt this specification as the basis for German card clearing that gave it binding force in Germany.