BH is a step closer to SEPA: key financial laws adopted in both Entities

The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH) is pleased with the adoption of a set of financial laws in the legislative bodies of both Entities, which has fulfilled all the regulatory requirements for the submission of the official application for Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).

After the laws were previously adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, the Parliament of the Federation of BH, i.e. the House of Representatives, did the same, by adopting today the harmonized texts of the set of financial laws.

SEPA is a Single Euro Payments Area where cross-border payments in euros are carried out under the same conditions as domestic payments, and transactions are executed faster, more safely and at significantly lower costs. Joining SEPA will therefore bring direct benefits to the entire economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For households – this means the end of several day long waiting and the beginning of actual financial flexibility, while citizens living abroad will be able to send money in a faster and cheaper way, without high intermediary fees.

For economy, this means lower transaction costs, faster capital turnover and higher predictability of cross-border operations.

This also increases banks' competitiveness and opens up additional space for the development of new digital products.

The SEPA area currently includes all 27 member states of the European Union, as well as 14 countries that have aligned their regulatory and technical frameworks with European standards, such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

Bosnia and Herzegovina carries out more than 80 percent of its foreign trade with the countries of the SEPA area, and most of BH diaspora, that generates revenues of almost KM 3 billion a year through remittances, lives in the SEPA countries.

The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a key role in the process of joining the Single Euro Payments Area. It has established and is the head of the SEPA Accession Coordination Committee, which also includes the Entity Ministries of Finance, the Banking Agencies and the Banks Association in BH.

Also, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina is continuously working on the technical preparation of banks and infrastructure to ensure that the SEPA payments can start without delay after Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession.

On 12 December 2025, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted draft application for the SEPA membership. With the adoption of all the necessary regulations at the level of both Entities, the conditions have now been met for the CBBH to submit to the European Commission and the European Payments Council an official application for full membership and accession to the Single Euro Payments Area.