On January 13, 2018, the new Act No. 370/2017 Coll., on Payments, came into effect, completely replacing the existing law and bringing with it a number of changes.
One such change is the introduction of indirect payment orders (known as the Payment Initiation Service), which allow third parties to make online payments on behalf of their clients. Another new service, the Account Information Service, lets third parties send account-related information online. These services will be provided by entities such as banks and credit unions.
The Act also strengthens payer verification for online payments and introduces new notification duties to enhance payment security. There are also changes to the liability of payment card users – in case of fraudulent use of a stolen or lost payment card (unauthorised transactions), the client will only be liable for up to EUR 50, replacing the current limit of EUR 150.