A workshop organized by the National Bank was conducted at the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia, with the aim of familiarizing the Chamber’s member companies more closely with the opportunities and benefits of executing payments within the Single Euro Payments Area SEPA.
The presentation was delivered by Mr. Igor Velichkovski, Director of the Department for Financial Market Operations and Payment Systems, and Ms. Biljana Donovska Gecheva, Director of the Directorate for Payment Systems.
Participants included member companies of the Chamber from the sectors of wholesale and retail trade, product distribution, energy, finance, the pharmaceutical sector, law firms, freight forwarding, construction, as well as service activities.
During the workshop, companies were provided with more detailed information on the functioning of the SEPA channel for executing payments in euros, and a discussion was opened to assess practical experiences, challenges, ambiguities, and other operational issues that companies have encountered in its use. In this context, the benefits of faster and more efficient execution of euro payments via SEPA compared to payments through correspondent banking channels were highlighted, including a simplified and standardized payment procedure, lower costs, as well as greater transparency and predictability of costs. This, in turn, provides direct support to trade activities with partners from the European Union and the SEPA area.
The Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia remains committed to providing structured information and continuous support to its member companies regarding the latest economic, financial, and legal developments at the national, regional, and international levels. In this regard, the Chamber continues to develop and deepen cooperation with state institutions, with the aim of strengthening the private sector and the economy.
