STEP1 Participants

A bank needs to fulfil the following criteria to be able to participate in the STEP1 Service:

  • be authorised to conduct banking business
  • participate in the STEP1 Service from its registered address or a branch located in the EU 
  • be a member of the Euro Banking Association. Neither a minimum credit rating nor a minimum of own funds are required to participate in the service. 

STEP1 Sub-Participants

In order to qualify as a sub-participant in STEP1, a bank has to be 

  • established in an EEA location
  • a consolidated affiliate of a participant in the STEP1 Service, as evidenced by the accounts of the participant

Participants may also include branches as sub-addresses.

Joining windows

Joining windows for STEP1 are available on a monthly basis, respecting the following timeline:

Joining process
Joining process

Future change dates

The following dates are agreed with SWIFT for changes to STEP1 provisioning. This includes the connection of new participants to the systems and the addition of sub-participants as sub-addresses.  

  • 11 January 2021
  • 8 February 2021
  • 8 March 2021
  • 6 April 2021
  • 3 May 2021
  • 7 June 2021
  • 5 July 2021
  • 9 August 2021
  • 6 September 2021
  • 4 October 2021
  • 8 November 2021
  • 6 December 2021