Verification of Payee: what’s changing in your Easy Banking

On 30 June, BNP Paribas Fortis successfully introduced the 'Verification of Payee’ to Easy Banking App. This feature checks whether the name of the payee and account number match. It gives you more certainty that your money transfer will reach the right destination. 

We continue to roll out this new feature on our digital channels: from October on Easy Banking Web, Easy Banking Business and Easy Banking Business Mobile.

Roll-out for all banks in the eurozone is scheduled for 9 October 2025, and by 2027, all countries in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) should have integrated this new verification process.

How does it work and what does it mean for you?

The Verification of Payee is a new requirement introduced by the EU to enhance the reliability and security of financial transactions. This verification is fully automatic.

Before you confirm your money transfer, we check with the payee’s bank whether the name you entered matches the official name linked to the account. If there is a total or partial mismatch, you will receive an alert message. You are free to confirm or cancel the transfer; the bank never blocks transactions.

4 possible outcomes

• The name entered corresponds exactly to the name of the payee registered with the bank.
• The name entered corresponds partially to the name of the payee registered with the bank.
• The name entered does not match the name of the payee registered with the bank.
• It is not possible to verify the match.

Please note that, regardless of the result, the bank will never block transactions.

What happens in practice?

Depending on the result of the verification, you will receive one of the following messages:

• If there is a full match, a green tick will appear.
• In the event of a partial match, an orange warning triangle will appear with the message: “The name entered almost corresponds to the payee's name. Do you mean <John Smith>?”. There may have been a typo or a small error in the name encoding, such as 'Smit' instead of 'Smith'.
• If there is no match, an orange warning triangle will appear, but this time with the message: “Attention! The name entered does not match the payee’s name.” If the payee is a well-known company in Belgium, the bank will provide the official name. However, for reasons of confidentiality, no name will be suggested in the case of a private individual.

If verification is not possible due to a technical problem or a lack of response from the payee’s bank, you will receive the following message: “We cannot verify whether the payee’s name is correct.”

What to do in the different scenarios?

The purpose of the verification is to warn and protect you. Since the check takes place before you validate the transaction, you can choose to confirm or cancel the money transfer depending on the result. If you decide to confirm, it’s up to you to decide whether to correct the payee’s name before proceeding.

If the details do not match, or only partially match, ensure that the payee’s name matches the account number. For example, if you have received an invoice by email and have doubts, contact the company! Either you know their phone number or you can find it on their official website. Don’t rely on the number or email address mentioned on the invoice, as it could be fraudulent. If you make an error and proceed with the money transfer without correcting the name, the amount may end up in the wrong payee’s account.

Useful tips

• Carefully enter the payee’s full first name and surname to avoid any error messages, or use the official name mentioned on the invoice.
• If an error message appears despite your best efforts, take it seriously and take the time to carefully check the payment details. If in doubt, contact the payee directly, but do not use the contact details mentioned on the invoice. It is possible that these have been falsified and that the fraudster has replaced the genuine account number with their own.
• After an error message, remember to update the name in your list of trusted payees. This will prevent this type of situation from happening again.
• Finally, use the ‘alias’ function (e.g., ‘taxes’), which refers to the jargon you use to name certain frequent payees. This is done while registering their official name in your list of trusted payees.

Advantages of verification

The Verification of Payee:

• Offers you more security and peace of mind.
• Reduces the risk of payment errors and thus avoids complications and financial losses.
• Helps combat certain forms of fraud, such as invoice fraud, and strengthens the security of your transactions.

It may take some time to get used to the error messages. But by following these tips, you’ll reduce unnecessary verifications and learn how to use this new feature to detect genuine fraud attempts.

How can companies increase the chances a match?

• Register with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE)

To verify the name of the payee, BNP Paribas Fortis uses the official details of the account holder. 

However, some companies also use trade names or abbreviations (e.g., SNCB/NMBS). The name of the account holder may also vary depending on the language (e.g., Foundation Against Cancer/Stichting Tegen Kanker/Fondation Contre le Cancer). This complicates the comparison, sometimes generating partial matches or no matches, potentially worrying some individuals and discouraging them from making transfers to these accounts.

One possible solution is for companies to enrich the CBE with trade names and/or abbreviations in different languages (French, Dutch, German, English). This should be done at the entity level (e.g., The Local Economy Offices), without going down to the establishment level (The Local Economy Offices of the Brussels-Capital Region, The Local Economy Office of Schaerbeek, etc.), as this detail cannot be used.

The comparison will, therefore, be made on the official name and the data registered with the CBE, which will increase the match rate.
From October 2025, CBE data will be uploaded to the matching algorithm daily. 

 To minimise error messages during transfers, we invite companies and associations to correctly mention their legal name or known denomination on their invoices and website, as registered with the CBE.

More info in the Febelfin FAQs

Multiple (bulk) files

The Verification of Payee is not mandatory for multiple files. The company may decide to opt out, meaning they do not request the Verification of Payee process. In other words, it reverts to the current situation.
Each company will decide based on its own risk assessment.

- Opting out means accepting the risk of sending funds to the wrong payee.
- Opting in, or accepting the verification of the payee, increases the workload and requires adapting internal procedures. This involves analysing the results, correcting and editing a new file, then resubmitting it for payment.

The Isabel 6 tool

Isabel 6, also subject to European regulations, will offer The Verification of Payee. More information on the Isabel website.