The EBA finds divergences in the issuance and regulation of ‘virtual IBANs’ across the EU, identifies issues, and provides recommendations on how to address them

The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published a Report on the issuance of what is commonly referred to as ‘virtual IBANs’ (vIBANs). In the absence of a common definition, the Report observes that the industry issues vIBANs in different ways and for different purposes and national authorities diverge in interpreting and applying regulatory requirements. The Report also identifies resulting issues in terms of money laundering and terrorist financing, consumer and depositor protection, authorisation and passporting, and regulatory arbitrage, and provides recommendations on how to address them.