GlossaryEnglish Cap5

Electronic Banking Services
ELECTRONIC
BANKING
SERVICES
D Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to understand:
5.1 Introduction into e banking services
5.2 Concepts definition regarding e-banking
5.2.1 Development of electronic money in the Euro area;
electronic money oversight, supervision and the Community
regulatory framework
5.2.2 Services of e banking in Romania
5.3 The legal framework in the e-services field
5.3.1 The EU s on-line Financial Services legal framework
5.3.2 The E regulating provisions in Romania
5.4 The risk management for e-banking activities and e-money
5.4.1 Risk identification and risks analysis
5.5 Advantages and disadvantages of Internet banking
5.1 Introduction into e banking services

The evolution into the Internet and electronic banking era is set to be the
most fundamental transformation that the industry would have ever had to
undergo. Yet, when we arrive on the other side we should not envisage
being greeted by an era dictated by geeks and impersonal switches, but by
the level of human interaction and use of information that kept eluding us
all through the industrial revolution.
Starting the 80s, analysts1 of financial transactions stated that Electronic
Banking services for physical persons will become a common way of
effecting from home the banking transactions. In the same period, banks
from all over the world invested in developing software solutions,
equipment like servers, modems and the development of information
departments.
Electronic Banking is a service provided by many of the largest banks to
enable the ordinary customer to transfer funds from one person to another
and to remit funds to a named beneficiary.
This kind of service was firstly accepted by the small savings bank in the
United States of America, where in a small town the customers are well
known and the relationships between the banking clerks and the customers
are close and stable. In this environment, the operations solicited by phone
have appeared.
The sphere of asked services was also restricted and the bank initially
agreed to pay only some usual phone bills, with small values. The bank by
phone was called like this due to the fact that the operations were solicited
based on human voice, by telephone.
Source: Piaa Financiar magazine, November, 2000
The communication in both ways raised some problems regarding:

- The presentation and identification of the account holder that solicits
access to the banking services and the possibilities of fraud;
- The ways of communicating the information, especially the receiving by
the computer and the coherent answer to be given.
The identification possibilities were varied, but it should be mentioned a
few:
- The phone tone, with the help of an emitting pill included in the
customer s phone;
- The password;
- The personal identification number (PIN).
For an increased safety, some banks have installed a small card reader at the
customer location.
A computer having the
communication possibilities:
following
characteristics
facilitated
the
- It asks and answers to the customer, partially based on pre-recorded

messages;
- It recognises the human voice (the words yes and no, the figures,
some key words, etc.).
So, based on some precise orders and some key words, the computer may
receive the customers orders and may give some significant answers to
him.
The diversity of the solutions adopted by bank to solve these problems and
facilitate the communications is shown in the following table:
The offer
Lloyds
Bank of
Scotland
TSB
Automatic
answer
(human
voice)
through the
phone and
using a
recognition
tone
Automatic
answer
(human
voice)
through a
phone and a
special
terminal
Automatic
teletext
through the
phone
(keypad,
home
computer)
The access
to the
system
PIN using a
special card
Password and
account
Special PIN
number
and account
Password and number
special PIN
Costs
(besides
the phone
circuit)
Fixed tariffs
are
established
monthly
according to
its use
Fixed
monthly and
additional
tariffs
according to
its use
The type
Quarterly
subscription
of L2.50 for
each account
Nationwide
England
BS Royal
Bank of
Scotland
Automatic
answer
(human
voice)
through the
phone and
using a
recognition
tone
Password
Special PIN
Free
Source: Basno C., Dardac N.- Moneda. Credit. Banci, Ed. Didactic i
Pedagogica RA, Bucureti. 1999
The table shows that many banks use video equipment in order to give the
customer access to a larger range of services.
Technological characteristics
The Videotext system is based on video, a telecommunication procedure that
enables the visualisation of alphanumerical images on a screen.
The Videotext system is a video system with telephone transmission, hence
it is a videography where the transmission is done through a
telecommunication network (the phone line).
There are three entities that take part in this system: the user, the
transmission network and the service performer (that is a database and a
processor of information in the same time).
The user will be equipped with a terminal and a phone line. He will be
connected to the network through a phone call, after he was identified and
recognised (through the above-mentioned procedures).
The transmission network initially implies the phone contact through the
telephone and after the identification it enables the connection with the
performer through the video access point (WAP).
The functional characteristics of the Videotext System
The system has several functional characteristics that reveal its superior
qualities:
- It ensures the fast transmission of information;
- It allows a continuous updating of data;
- It has an unlimited stocking capacity, so all the specific elements may be
included in the database;
- It has a permanent availability. Hence, it may be accessed from different
places and without any time restrictions;
- The system presents a specific accessibility through:
- The use of a communication mean, a simplified language;
- The easy orientation in the system, within a tree structure;
- The multi-criteria access, that enables the information to be selected
based on more criteria and hence the use of the same information on
more objectives (a simple example is that the operations recorded in an
account may be structured as credit operations, debit operations, balances
at different dates, etc.)
- The system implies the interaction between two parts.
The Techniques of the Banking Operations Performed through the Videotext

System
The payment from distance
The payment from distance is possible only when the bank gives the holder
of the payment card a purchase power. In this case, the memory of the card
records this ability that may be interpreted as a credit limit.
Under the above-mentioned circumstances, the holder of the payment card
connects through the Videotext system with the seller. The operations are
performed in the following order:
1. The order regarding the goods or services solicited is given;
2. The decision to pay is expressed;
3. The PIN is typed (this operation is juridical equivalent to signing a
cheque);
4. The amount is typed (this operation is equivalent to filling this mention
on the cheque).
Consequently, the operation is recorded simultaneously in the memory of
the payment card and in the performer.
In order to finalise the operation in the seller account; the performer
periodically asks the bank for payment. The bank validates the operation
and covers the amount by debiting the holder s account.
On the other hand, the payment card keeps in its memory all data regarding
the payments made (the day, the amount, and the beneficiary). So, we may
say that this memory acts as an archive. The credit limit may be renewed
monthly.
The Teletransfer
The holder of the payment card may use this system to make payments on
behalf of some natural or legal persons. These operations are recorded in the
card memory, but do not affect the purchasing power. Consequently, this
operation does not have the same execution guarantee, meaning that it may
be performed only if the holder has enough money in his account.
If not, the bank notifies the holder that the operation is not possible.
Usually, this operation is used for the treasury management of the holder.
He operates for the transfer of funds to special accounts: savings accounts,
term deposits, etc.
Payments regarding electronic bills
The user of the Videotext System establishes with the bank a regime of
automatic payments for the bills that have specific payment terms (usually
the monthly bills).
Based on these agreements, the payments are automatically made at the
established dates. The user has the right to cheque if the payments to be
made are right. When he thinks he is entitled he may cancel the payment by
addressing a special order to the bank, also by using the Videotext system.
The teleconsultancy
This denomination refers to the dialogue between the holder of the payment
card and the bank. It concerns the situation of the holder s account and is
done through the system.
The most frequent questions refer to:
- the balance of the account at the bank or the balance of the purchasing
power (the credit);
- the last operations recorded in the account;
- the interest amounts to be received or paid.
The request of a cheque card
The cheques are used on a large scale, sometimes in parallel with the credit
card. Th request for a new cheque card usually requires the holder to go to
the bank.
But the user of the Videotext system has the advantage to request this by
means of a Videotext message. The operation is quite simple. The bank will
honour the customer request and will mail him a new cheque card.
The local consultancy
The local consultancy is a very natural and sometimes useful service. It
consists of reading of the credit card memory.
The expenses ordered according to their succession, the suppliers etc. will
appear on the screen and they may be retained. This ensures the
clarifications asked by the holder.
The offer of e-banking services of the well known types- m-banking, ITV
and PC based on Internet - will permit the bank, in the first place to attract
sophisticated clients, that are using many platforms for effecting
transactions, managing, in the same time to access a larger base of potential
customers.
ITV-Banking represents a channel that implies small costs; in the same
time, data confidentiality during transactions effected using the
infrastructure of cable TV is reduced.
M-Banking offers the clients the possibility to effect transactions
everywhere in the world and at any time; the size of the phone terminal, as
well as the fact that the mobile phone is a personal object gives maximum
confidentiality assurance to this e-banking service.
M-banking services2 will attract an increasing number of active users on the
near future and the volume of the transactions for m-banking users will be
bigger than the volume of transactions through ITV and even through PCbased e-banking.
Nowadays, the PC-based Internet Banking users represent the most
important category of e-banking users, the situation will change; a bank
should develop strategies for new banking services offered on a different
platform, by adding a new presentation form in a shorter period of time and
at small costs.
5.2 Conceptsdefinition regarding e-banking
The Banking Supervision Committee from Basle defines the e-banking
activity as the retail banking services and products distribution of different
values through electronic channels.
Source: E-Finance, supplement of Piaa Financiar magazine, December, 2000
These banking products and services can include: attracting banking

deposits, granting loans, the accounting management, as well as providing
other products and services for electronic payment as e-money.
Usually, the more accessible procedures by which it is possible to distribute
to the consumers e-banking products and services are: POs (point of sale
terminal), ATMs (automatic teller machine), mobile phones, personal
computers, distance terminal, Video Kiosk, Internet, and others. Through
the Internet, a person can have access 24 hours a day/ 7 days per week to
her/his accounts and can make transactions, for this operation needing only
a PC connected to the Internet and a browser. The Internet banking services
can be accessed also through the mobile telephone and with the help of
WAP. This way, because of its rapid extension, the Internet brings new
opportunities to the banking industry.
The Internet Banking number of users3 is increasing. In Europe, from
2.8 million users in 1999, Forester Research estimates that the number will
reach the value of 10 million by the year 2002. In the United States of
America, the Internet home country, from 7 million Internet Banking users
in 1999, it is estimated that in 2002, there will be 24.2 million.
From the banks point of view, clients segments to which these services
address are: individual clients market (it is estimated that till the end of the
year 2003, there will exist in the United States of America about
18.5 million home users); institutional clients market (corporate clients).
It is estimated that by the end of 2003, there will be over 18.5 million
Internet banking home users, in the USA. These clients segment will
probably represent 30% of banks retail activity profits. It is estimated that
Internet banking will be the leader of the Home Banking American market.
Electronic money is a payment instrument whereby monetary value is
electronically stored on a technical device in the possession of a customer.
The amount of stored monetary value is decreased or increased, as
appropriate, whenever the owner of the device uses it to make a purchase,
sale, loading or unloading transaction.
According to E-Finance, supplement of Piaa Financiar magazine, March, 2001
A distinguishing feature of transactions carried out with electronic money is

that they do not necessarily involve a bank account. This is a fundamental
difference between electronic money and access products. With access
products, such as debit cards, payments are settled by means of transfers
between bank accounts.
Electronic money represent deposited money through electronic means with
the scope of making payments via POs terminal, direct transfers, or through
computers network, like the Internet. The product of stored value includes
hardware or mechanisms based on card (the so called electronic
wallets) and software or mechanisms based on the network (named
digital cash). The stored value cards can have only one destination
(single purpose), like the phone card, and can be used for buying one
single type of merchandise or service from one single vendor; cards with
more destinations (multi-purpose) which can be used for more buying
from more vendors.
The banks can participate in the electronic money circuit in the quality of
issuer, but can fulfil also other functions like: distribution of electronic
money issued by other entities, processing and transaction discount made
with the help of electronic money, as well as the registration in accounting
of the corresponding transactions.
According to the Report on electronic money published by ECB in August
1998, Electronic money is broadly defined as an electronic store of
monetary value on a technical device that may be widely used for making
payments to undertakings other than the issuer without necessarily
involving bank accounts in the transaction, but acting as a prepaid bearer
instrument4.
A legal definition of electronic money has recently been provided in Article
1 of the European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/46/EC on the
taking-up, pursuit and prudential supervision of the business of electronic
money institutions. According to this definition, electronic money shall
mean monetary value as represented by a claim on the issuer which is:
(i)
stored on an electronic device;
(ii)
issued on receipt of funds of an amount not less in value than the

monetary value issued;
ECB Monthly Bulletin November 2000.
(iii) accepted as mean of payment by undertakings other than the issuer.

The legal definition set out in Directive 2000/46/EC introduces the concept
of a claim on the electronic money issuer. This clarifies the concept of the
issuer, i.e. the undertaking that has ultimate financial responsibility towards
the holders of electronic money. This distinction is necessary because in
some electronic schemes the tasks of issuing and administering electronic
money are the responsibility of different entities.
Technological features
On a technological level, electronic money products can be further divided
into hardware-based and software-based products, depending upon the
storage device. In the case of hardware-based product, purchasing power
resides in a device containing hardware-based security features (generally a
chip, which is usually embedded in a plastic card). By contrast, softwarebased products employ specialised software on a personal computer,
typically allowing electronic value to be transferred via telecommunications
networks, such as the Internet.
Hardware-based products have the potential to be used not only for face-toface payments, but also for payments via telecommunications networks, for
example by means of a card-reading machine and a personal computer
connected to the Internet. Whenever electronic money is transferred via
telecommunications networks, the term network money is used,
regardless of whether the electronic money is hardware-based or softwarebased.
In addition, the following characteristics of electronic money should be
emphasised. First, at the present juncture, electronic money received by the
beneficiary cannot, in most cases, be used again, but has to be forwarded to
the issuer for redemption (closed circulation of electronic money). With
open circulation, electronic money functions in much the same way as
banknotes and coins, which allow for a number of transactions to be carried
out without the involvement of the issuer.
Second, electronic money can provide varying degrees of anonymity, from
total anonymity to full disclosure of the identity of the user, depending on
the technical features of the individual scheme. By contrast, with access
products such as debit cards, the processing of payments requires the
identification of both parties to the transaction, since their bank accounts

need to be debited and credited.
The Electronic money are represented by many forms5, such as:
1. Debit cards by using these, the consumer is empowered to buy
merchandise through effecting an electronic transfer of funds from their
personal accounts from the bank in the merchants account.
2. Stored-value card they are cards similar to the debit and credit
cards, but they distinguish by the fact that they contain a fix amount of
digital cash. A sophisticated stored-value card is represented by the
smart card.
3. Electronic cash represents an example from the real world of the
electronic systems of payment, using e-mail or Web. E-cash is used on
the Internet for buying products and services. A consumer can obtain ecash by opening a bank account at a bank connected to the Internet.
Then, e-cash is transferred to his computer. When a client wishes to
buy a merchandise with e-cash, then he navigates on the net, looks for a
shop and selects the option of buying a named article, after which e-cash
is transferred automatically from the clients computer into merchants
computer.
4. Electronic cheque these permit the users of the Internet to pay the
bills directly through Internet without transmitting the check paper. The
user of the computer writes the equivalent value of the check, after
which he transmits the electronic check to the other party, which, in its
turn, transmits it to his bank.
Advantages6 of Internet Banking Services -analysed from banks and also

from clients perspective are:
5
6
Source: Net Report magazine, February, 2001

According to Piaa Financiar, September, 2000
BANK
INDIVIDUAL
CLIENT
INSTITUTIONA
L CLIENT
good image on the market;

reduced costs of transactions;
rapid answer to the market demands;
increase of revenues;
increase in the clients number.
reduced costs for the access and use of different
products;
ease;
rapidity;
funds administration;
reduced costs for accessing and use of products;
liquidity administration.
5.2.1 Development of electronic money in the Euro area; electronic money

oversight, supervision and the community regulatory framework
The role of electronic money in the economy derives from its function as a
retail payment instrument. In this regard, electronic money is analogous to
banknotes and coins, cheques, bank transfers or credit and debit cards. Each
of the existing retail payment instruments offers certain specific services
which make that payment instrument particularly attractive to certain
customers or for certain types of transactions. Nonetheless, there is scope
for competition between them. For example, following their introduction,
credit and debit cards competed with cheques. Apart from the range of
services offered by retail payment systems, the key factor in determining
competitive outcomes is the cost associated with the use of each retail
payment instrument. For banknotes and coins, as well as for cheques,
handling costs are sizeable. For credit and debit cards, the main costs arise
from the bookkeeping in relation to bank accounts, including the
verification of accounts and transfers between accounts.
With electronic money, transaction costs can be lower than with banknotes
and coins. For example, when payments at vending machines are made with
electronic money, there is no need for the merchant to handle banknotes and
coins stored in the machine and to spend resources on the physical safety of
the vending machine. Furthermore, with electronic money, transaction costs
may also be lower than with debit cards, because the settlement process
generally requires fewer data exchanges and there is usually no need for any
online authorisation of electronic money transactions.
The development of electronic money will depend on the decisions made by
customers and merchants as to whether or not to use electronic money as a
payment instrument.
From the point of view of the merchant, it is useful to distinguish between
the fixed costs and the marginal costs of using payment instruments at a
particular point of sale. In the case of electronic money, fixed costs include
the costs associated with the purchase and maintenance of electronic money
cards and software or dedicated merchant terminals. By contrast, the
marginal costs are those relating to the processing of a single transaction,
including in particular the costs incurred for telecommunications. To the
extent that electronic money systems need to rely on new technologies or
new standards, which may remain relatively expensive in the early stages of
their development, fixed costs are likely to be relatively high, at least during
an initial phase. However, the marginal costs of using electronic money may
be lower than those of using alternative payment instruments.
Electronic money and monetary policy
The impact of electronic money on the monetary policy has been a widely
debated issue since the developments in technology made the widespread
use of electronic money a feasible scenario. The primary objective of the
monetary policy is to maintain price stability. With regard to this objective,
the development of electronic money raises three different issues:
First, there is need to safeguard the role of money as the unit of account
for economic transactions. Society reaps substantial benefits from using
a single well-defined and stable unit of account, for conducting
transactions, irrespective of the issuer or the form in which money is
issued.
Second, the effectiveness of monetary policy instruments might be

affected by a widespread adoption of electronic money. This relates
mainly to effects on central bank balance sheets and the ability of central
banks to steer short-term interest rates.
Third, the emergence of electronic money might have repercussions on

the information content of monetary indicator variables with regard to
the primary objective of price stability.
The Eurosystems policy on electronic money

The Eurosystems policy on electronic money is explained in the ECBs7
Report on electronic money (August 1998) and further elaborated in the
official opinion of the ECB on draft Community legislation on electronic
money8. On the basis of monetary policy, payment systems policy and
supervisory concerns, the report sets out seven minimum requirements for
electronic money schemes to fulfil, as well as two desirable objectives.
The requirements are as follows:
(i)
issuers of electronic money must be subject to prudential supervision;
(ii)
electronic money schemes must have solid and transparent legal

arrangements;
(iii) electronic money schemes must maintain adequate technical,

organisational and procedural safeguard to prevent, contain and detect
threats to the security of the scheme, particularly the threat of
counterfeits;
(iv) protection against criminal abuse must be taken into account when
designing and implementing electronic money schemes;
(v)
electronic money schemes must supply the central bank with whatever
information may be required for the purpose of monetary policy;
(vi) issuers of electronic money must be legally obliged to redeem it at par

value;
(vii) the possibility must exist for the ECB to impose reserve requirements
on all issuers of electronic money.
The desirable objectives, which relate mainly to the smooth functioning of
payment system, the prudential supervision of credit institutions and the
stability of the financial system, are:
i)
7
8
the interaction of electronic money schemes;
European Central Bank

ECB Monthly Bulletin November 2000
ii)
the adoption of adequate guarantee, insurance or loss-sharing

schemes.
Hence a framework is needed to ensure that electronic money schemes are

safe and efficient and that electronic money issuers are sound.
The new regulatory framework for electronic money institutions (ELMIs) is
defined in two recently adopted Directives: European Parliament and
Council Directive 2000/46/EC on the taking-up, pursuit of and prudential
supervision of the business of electronic money institutions and European
Parliament and Council Directive 2000/28/EC amending Directive
2000/12/EC relating to the taking-up and pursuit of the business of credit
institutions.
According to European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/46/EC on
the taking-up, pursuit of and prudential supervision of the business of
electronic money institutions, the main elements of the new regulatory
framework for ELMIs include the following:
i)
the limitation of activities article 1 limits the business activities of

ELMIs to the issuance of electronic money, the provision of closely
related financial and non-financial services and the issuance and
administration of other means of payment, but excluding the granting
of any form of credit.
ii)
the scope of application of banking Directives Article 2 stipulates

that only two EU Directives, if not otherwise expressly provided for,
will apply to ELMIs, namely a number of provisions of Directive
2000/12/EC and Directive 91/308/EEC on money laundering.
iii)
Redeemability- Article 3 stipulates that the bearer of electronic money

may, during the period of validity, ask the issuer to redeem it at par
value in coins and banknotes or by a transfer to an account free of
charges other than those strictly necessary to carry out that operation.
iv)
Initial capital and ongoing own funds requirements - the initial capital
and minimum ongoing capital requirements for ELMIs is Euro
1,000,000, while capital requirements are also set on an ongoing basis.
v)
The limitation of investments Article 5 requires that ELMIs invest an

amount not less than their outstanding financial liabilities related to
electronic money in highly liquid assets which attract a 0% or, subject
to quantitative limitations, a 20% credit risk weighting. Limitations

also apply to ELMIs activities in derivatives etc.
The legal and regulatory regime for electronic money in place in the
countries of the European Union (EU) has, until recently been characterised
by a low degree of harmonisation. The recently adopted Community
legislation on electronic money provides a comprehensive and harmonised
regulatory framework for electronic money schemes.
The framework limits the issuance of electronic money to traditional credit
institutions and to a new type of credit institution known as an electronic
money institution (ELMI). ELMIs are institutions, which specialise in the
electronic money business. The particular nature of their activity and of the
risks that they incur has led to the definition of a specific supervisory
framework. In addition, the application of provisions of the Directive
relating to the taking-up and pursuit of the business of credit institutions
will allow ELMIs to benefit from an European passport, which will enable
them to carry out their activities throughout the EU.
As a conclusion, it should be mentioned that electronic money has the
potential to become an important element of the Euro area financial system.
The development of electronic money in the Euro area will be determined
by market forces and reflect competition between electronic money and
existing retail payment instruments, as well as among the various issuers of
electronic money. As a result, it is difficult to predict whether electronic
money will develop in the future, and what form its development will take.
5.2.2 Services of E-Banking in Romania
Bank Austria Credit Anstalt launched on-line banking in March 2001.
Bank Austria Creditanstalt Romania (BA/CA Romania) recently launched
Internet Banking, named ON-LINE BANKING, through which the
customer saves time and money, and does not have to support the costs
corresponding to this system.
Offering some modern and secure solutions, of high quality coming and
receiving the client, will be the success of BA/CA Romania.
The Commercial Bank Ion Tiriac introduced Office2Office electronic

banking
Sine March 1st, 2001, electronic banking service Office2Ofice has been
introduced. It addresses to physical persons mainly and permits a direct link
with the bank through a computer. The new electronic payment system
works under Windows and permits the client to manage directly from his
office the bank accounts. Data can be viewed and printed or imported to his
bookkeeping system. Using his own computer the client can make payments
in Romania and abroad and has access to current account information
related to effected transactions, initial sold, final sold, and Treasury
information. The system is working off-line, this allowing the client to make
a verification of data before the transmission to the bank. The access can be
done based on a user name and unique password, having the possibility of
defining on profiles of different types of users. The system also permits
choosing a set of authorised signatures corresponding to internal policy of
the company and also the approval of different schemes, depending on the
payment nature.
Citibank Announced the Launching of an Internet-Only Banking
Operation
Demirbank Romania is offering Mobile and Internet Banking Services.
DemirBank Romania has been offering since March 2001 M-banking.
Introducing Mobile Banking service (based on WAP technology) represents
a new stage in the development of the bank s offer of products and services
on the market. A year ago, the bank launched Electronic Banking services
on the market and after that Internet Banking. Mobile banking represents the
users possibility to access his account from where ever he is, with the help
of his own mobile phone. The computer is no longer necessary. The bank
does not have additional fees and commissions for the Mobile-Banking
services, permitting its customers to access their own accounts through the
mobile phone system.
Alpha Bank
Alpha Web Banking was introduced in 1998; it permits clients to effect online elementary banking transactions. In October 2000, share transaction
was introduced. Alpha Bank was one of the first banks that introduced
mobile banking through WAP technology. Alpha Bank was in Romania the
first bank that implemented on-line connection, and executed operations in
real time, it also implemented a multibranch/ multicurrency accounting type.
Alphaline is a very modern, accessible and secure home-banking service,

one of the firsts in its product type. The bank intends to introduce in the near
future the Internet banking.
The Romanian Commercial Bank is Launching Home-Banking
The Romanian Commercial Bank is offering to its clients new facilities of
e-type. The bank is offering on the market two products: multicast-BCR,
addressed to big customers of corporation type and e_BCR, addressed to
small and medium size customers. This new system will function by
creating an interface with the customer. The connection with the bank will
be done through the bank s Internet site, with the help of a local browser.
Piraeus Bank
In March 2001, Piraeus Bank launched EXPRESSBank services package.
This comprises four remote banking services: TeleBank, MobilBank,
InfoBank, and DirectBank.
The Commercial Bank of Greece
Starting December 2000, the Commercial Bank of Greece offers Internet
banking services, which permit the clients the access to banks products and
services without being necessary the physical presence in the offices.
5.3 The legal framework in the e-services field
5.3.1 The EU s on-line Financial Services legal framework
The European Commission launched a new plan of on-line financial
services development, having at its basis the so-called origin country
principle9, a principle that governs cross border commercial relationships,
applicable to buying and selling financial services. According to an Internal
Market Department official, the plan should become operative till 2005. On
the other hand, another department of the Commission, the one that is
focussing on the legal field and internal affairs is working at a new law
whose provisions are in contradiction with the unique market requirements.
This is stating that the law of the client or consumer s country should apply
in other words the destination country principle.
The Commissions representatives in the legal field already adopted a law
named Bruxelles1; recognising the destination country principle. Rome
9
Source: Piaa Financiar magazine, September, 2000
Document2, which will be soon proposed to Commission members

political approval takes, also, into account the same principle.
The lack in the consumers trust is the main thing that stops e-commerce
development, a juridical problem spokesperson from the commission,
declared.
The economists in charge of the unique market regulation elaboration are
strongly affirming that consumers interests are better served if encouraged
competition exists.
The existing statutes based on the destination country principal include
Broadcasting Directive, Electronic Signature Directive, technical standards
Directive and Copyright for Satellite and Cable Transmission Directive.
The E-Commerce Directive adopted at the EU level must be transposed into
national legislation by the 15 Member States and revised according to
Brussels and Rome.
The EU, in order to regulate and uniform the controversial field of the
electronic signature, recently published a series of directives to be
implemented, for the Member States. Two important objectives are outlined:
firstly, it is provided the fact that from the time of the directive entering into
force, in the EU states; the electronic signature10, has the same value as the
written signature, starting from the premise that the electronic signature,
will be able to be certified by a institution specialised in this field. Secondly,
there is the archivation of those documents problem. The question: for how
long the signatures must remain in the computer s memory? represents an
important aspect of the problem.
The legal provisions will be uniformly submitted to obeisance and this
aspect constitutes an important phase in the dematerialization of the
payment system.
About on-line, off-line non-discrimination principle, applicable to
commercial operations, the solution was to keep the existing implemented
legislation regarding the operation system using printed documents, and to
extend it to on-line operations, to the biggest possible extent, exceptions
10
Source: www.europa.eu.int.
being constituted by the particular regulations applicable to specified

situations.
Another important aspect is the jurisdiction problem. In the present, there is
no jurisprudence unanimously accepted, and there are situations in which
the two systems are in contradiction. In such cases, beyond the risks
assumed by the providers, there also intervene a series of complicated and
time- consuming procedures. The advice that can be given in these
conditions is to be attentive, and prudent in the operations performed and
assume for that moment, due to the existent situation, a minimum possible
risk.
5.3.2 The E regulating provisions in Romania
In Romania, the trust in e sector activities could come only from law. It is
necessary that laws regarding e world be concluded and adopted by the
Romanian Parliament.
The Law Regarding the Electronic Authentication
The main actors of e market can be, for the moment, public institutions
and physical persons. The law of electronic authentication is necessary, and
it should oblige the public institutions to enter the game.
A good legislation in this field should focus on the participants to the
economic game protection, and non-intervention as long as the participants
have nothing to reproach one to the other.
The Law Regarding the Electronic Signature11
The electronic signature12 represents an information attached to an
electronic document which:
- uniquely identifies the signer, being realised with means placed at users
disposal;
- it identifies the document,
- and signals any afterward modification brought to it.
11
12
The author of the project of law regarding the electronic signature is Varujan V.
Pambuccian, the president of the IT Commission from the Romanian Parliament.
Source: www.pambuccian.ro/RlegSign.htm
It is much stronger than the hand written form one (and given this reason it
can have its juridical regime). It is clear that the law on the electronic
signature is at the basis of any regulation referring to an electronic data
needing juridical regime.
The regulating institution should be a recently created one, namely, the
Information and Communication National Agency, having the role of
regulating the certification and e-commerce service providers. The Agency
is under the control of the Romanian Government.
The project of regarding e-commerce
The project of law13 regarding the e-commerce states the juridical aspects
related to business to business operations (with the typical application:
virtual factory) and to those of business to customer type.
The law form proposed by the Romanian Information Communication
National Agency collects all the common regulations from the existent
legislation. The challenged questions are those related to taxes that could be
perceived on e-commerce.
The only way in which these activities can be taxed is the one proposed by
the law project, would be the establishment of an Internet Police
Department having the duty of monitoring every transaction in the network.
For the on-line documents transacted the aspects related to the hour and the
place of the signing of the document and the ways of proving that the
addressed really got the document, these, together with the electronic
signature.
The law defines the electronic exchange of data as a data electronic transfer
from one system to another using a stated standard for information structure.
In the sense of the same law, the informational system is a system used for
generating, transmitting, receiving, stocking or any other similar processing.
The information used under the form of an electronic message, is considered
valid of producing juridical effects, regarding the conditions provided by
law.
13
Source: www.pambuccian.ro/ R-LegEcom.htm
The agency must elaborate regulations regarding electronic data exchange

security in order to protect electronic commerce operations it also realises
reports on multilateral recognition with organism from other states.
The law of non-cash digital payments systems14
An economys state of health depends also on the speed at which economic
cycles close up, and, in Romania it appears that the fluidity of the economic
cycles is one of the major problems of the economic decline. So, the noncash digital operations must be initialised on a large scale, together with the
legislative framework.
5.4 The risk management for e-banking activities and e-money
When speaking about e banking we refer to on-line delivery of banking
services. The Internet is the main medium of distribution for the on-line
services, therefore the services offered are mainly subject to the risks related
to the Internet, without forgetting the traditional risks related to the banking
activity.
On-line security must be a fundamental component for any E-Banking
strategy. During the time when managers create networks opened to new
applications and to many users, the network is exposed to bigger risks. The
complex networks nowadays are frequently vulnerable to different types of
attacks like information steal, denial-of-service attacks, and unauthorised
breakthroughs.
Risk establishment is a continuous process, which supposes the realisation
of the following three stages:
- the bank engages in a process of risk identification and where it is
possible, of measurement. When risks can not be measured, the
management establishes the potential risks that might appear, the steps to
be taken and establishes the impact that these can have on the bank.
- Risk establishment means for a bank determining the bank s risk
tolerance, thing that implies losses establishment that bank permits in the
case of some unforeseen events.
14
According to Piaa Financiar, July,2000
- The management can compare risk tolerance with the magnitude

established for a certain risk, for establishing if the respective risk enters
in the tolerance limits.
Risk Control and Administration
After establishing the risks and tolerances, the management must administer
and control them. This stage of risk administration includes such activities
as: internal communication co-ordination, supplementing protection
measurements against external risks, clients instruction as to services use,
a.s.o. Banks increase the ability in the inherent risk control and
administration in any activity when all these are established through
procedures and they are accessible to the whole staff. The risk management
and control process include:
- Security measures and policies. Security represents a combination of
systems; practical applications and internal control used for putting in a
safe place the integrity, authentication, data confidentiality and operating
proceeds. The security policy states the intentions of the firms
management of sustaining the information security regarding the bank
security planning. The policy shapes the responsibilities for modelling,
implementing and strengthening information security measures
strengthen: it can also establish the procedures for the banks results
evaluation, for the of disciplinary measures and for security violation
reporting. The security measures include encrypt, password protection,
viruses scan.
- Internal communication. The supreme management must inform the key
personnel the way in which e-banking and e-money system provisions
intend to sustain the general objectives of the bank. In the same time, the
technical personnel must clearly inform the management about the way
in which the systems are projected to function, which are the fort and
weak points of the system. For assuring an adequate internal
communication, all the procedures must be previewed in writing. In the
scope of operational risk limitation, the management must adopt a
common policy of continuing teaching the personnel the new
technologies.
- Products and services evaluation before they are introduced on a large
scale can limit the operational and reputation risks. Testing validates the
fact that equipment and systems function and produce the desired results.
Pilot programs or prototypes can be also of help to the development of

new informational applications.
Having as objective the enumerated risks reduction, the regulation of all e
activities, the establishment of an adequate infrastructure are necessary
things to be done, as well as providing those entitled to authorise and
supervise these activities.
As any other commercial operation, electronic commerce needs a specific
infrastructure. In this case, this comprises three elements: technical
infrastructure, the interface with the classical commercial components and
the specific juridical regime.
The technical infrastructure is constituted of hardware systems, the
corresponding software and communication network. This constitutes in
fact, the component, which determined the apparition and development of
electronic commerce. It is necessary, also, a major interface with the
classical systems of commerce. The bank represents the key element,
because any commercial operation is possible with the use of money. A
bank s insertion in the electronic banking system supposes a securitized
connection between the bank and the user through which to be able to effect
operations in real time.
5.4.1 Risk identification and risks analysis
Thanks to the rapid changes interfered in the information technology; banks
confront risks specific to e-banking activities and e-money, risks presented
in the annexes. At this level, it appears that the operational risk, the
reputation risk, and the juridical risk represent the most important categories
of risks, especially for the international banks.
Operational risk appears from a potential loss due to some

significant deficiencies in the integrity and viability of the system. Security
issues are supreme, if banks are subjects to external or internal attack
against their products and systems. Operational risk can appear as a
consequence of the incorrect use of e money or e-banking systems, as well
as of the inadequate realisation and implementation of those systems.
Security risk. The access control to the banks systems became
more and more complex because of the developed capacities of the
computer, geographic dispersion of access points and use of various
communication ways including public networks like the Internet. The

unauthorised access to the network could lead to direct losses, adding some
duties to clients, a.s.o. here could, also, appear a variety of authentication
problems and specific access. For example, the inadequate controls could
lead to successful attacks of hackers operating on the Internet, which could
access, save and use confidential information about clients. If an adequate
control lacks, a pier could have access to the information system of the bank
and could virus it. Close to the external attacks against the electronic
banking and money systems, banks are exposed to the operational risk
concerning the employees fraud. The employees could get, in a clandestine
way; data related to the authentication with a view to access the clients
accounts or steal the stored value cards. The errors due to employees could
also, compromise banks systems. Of an increased importance for the
supervising authorities is the risk of e-money counterfeits, activity, which,
according to the Criminal Code represents an offence. This risk can be
increased if banks fail to incorporate adequate measures for discovery and
prevention of counterfeits. A bank confronting operational risk from
forgeries and becoming liable for the sum of the forged e-money account.
There can also appear costs due to repairmen of a compromised system.
Risks related to the projection, implementation and maintenance
of systems. Thus, a bank is exposed to the risk of an interruption or
slowness of its systems functioning if the e-bank or e-money chosen by the
bank is not compatible to the user s requirements.
Risk which appear due to unproper use by clients of banking
products and services. The risk is increased when a bank does not instruct in
a corresponding manner its clients in what it concerns the security
precautions. More than that, the lack of proper transactions verification,
clients could reject transactions already authorised, this way creating
numerous financial losses. Clients that use personal information
(authentication information, number of credit cards, a.s.o.) in an unsecured
electronic transmission can permit evil intentioned persons to obtain access
to clients accounts. Following this, the bank can suffer financial losses
caused by unauthorised transactions. Money laundry can be another source
of worry.
Reputation risk is the risk caused by significant negative public
opinion, which consists of a critical loss of funds or bank s clients.
Reputation risk can appear when bank s actions produce a major loss of
people s trust in the bank s ability to fulfil its critical functions in order to
continue its activity. Reputation risk is important not only for a single bank,
but also for the entire banking system.
Legal risk appears by violation or non-observance of laws, rules,
regulations or prescribed practices, or when the legal rights and obligations
of the participating parties to a transaction are not correctly established.
Banks engaged in e banking and e-money activities can confront juridical
risks referring to the release of information regarding clients and protection
of banking secrecy.
Other risks. Traditional banking risks like credit risk, liquidity
risk, interest rate risk and market risk are risks that can appear also in the
electronic banking activity. Credit risk represents the risk that appears due
to a partial payment of a credit obligation, at the established term or in any
other established moment after that. Banks that perform e-banking activities
can extend credit by untraditional channels and extend their market beyond
traditional geographical boundaries. Inadequate procedures, by which
debtors credibility asking credit through electronic channels is determined,
can influence credit risks for the respective banks. Liquidity risk represents
the risk that appears due to banks incapacity to fulfil its obligations at
maturity term. Interest rates risk refers to the bank financial situation
exposure to undesired movements of interest rates. Market risk is the risk of
registered losses in the positions from inside the balance sheet, as well as in
those from outside, losses that appear due to price movements on the
market, including the exchange rates.
Examples of risks:
Credit Risk
Lack of payment of the debtors that have solicited credits through electronic
channels.
Lack of payment from e-money issuers.
Liquidity Risk
Payment incapacity of an e-money issuer
Interest Rate Risk
Sudden changes of the interest rates of the instruments in which an e-money
issuer invests
Market Risk
Foreign Exchange risks coming from the acceptance of foreign coins as a
payment for e-money.
Country Risk
Transfer risk coming from a Foreign Service provider or foreign participants
to an electronic banking project.
Management risk. A process of risks administration that includes
the three basic elements of risk: evaluation, exposure control risk and
monitoring the risks will help banks and supervisors to fulfil these
objectives. It is essential that banks have a transparent risk administration.
And when there are identified new risks in these activities, the Board of
Administration and the executive management must be informed.
As a conclusion, it should be stipulated the following:

Traditional financial service providers must exploit the business solutions
based on the Internet, otherwise running the risk of being taken out of the
market.
In the financial sector rapid changes are happening, and institutions do not
have the opportunity to offer the best services in each category. Pioneers
have the potential to invent and bring on the market new products that the
customers find attractive. For this reason, the banks, being unable to rapidly
adapt the changes, will have to become product distributors or producers of
some of them. In both cases, Internet will be delegated to perform
unimportant functions for the financial institution.
Virtual distribution (on the Internet) has the advantage of lower costs, on the
decreasing costs of electronic data processing and communication expenses.
Banks, insurance societies, and real estate societies will have to work with
the specialised producers of a certain service type and effect cross selling.
Furthermore, there are new opportunities of establishing closer relationships
with the clients, beyond the traditional boundaries.
For successfully maximising, the bank of the future will have to develop the
essential competencies related to distribution or product specialisation. An
institution can not be successful in both directions. A core competence is
essential when directly affecting the competitive advantage of that particular
institution in a market field. Core competitive advantages goal is to create a
bigger differentiation and assign the best resources for it.
E-Business and, in the first place e-commerce became a well-known and
generally accepted phenomenon. The evolution from a few innovative firms
(especially from B2C type of commerce) to commerce on a large scale (of
B2B type) was rapid. The motivation would be the accelerated transactions,
reduced costs and an interaction with the client through personalised
solutions. E-business is no longer a tendency, it is an important changes
generator in the value added.
Vital to this field is the field of electronic banking, which is vital for on-line
transactions.
Ian Greenspan, president of Federal Reserve Board, a key decision maker in
the economic policies establishment, states15 that the prolonged economic
increase and recession stop in the United States of America have at their
basis the increase in productivity due to information technology and ebusiness. The phenomenon became global and had implications in the
entire world.
It is said that the necessary step for entering the 3rd millennium should be
on-line banking16for all the transactions effected in Romania. The new
payment way could revitalise the existent payment mechanism.
The financial services will be on-line or will not be at all. This is the
opinion of the most important players in the financial service field. In
Romania, the Internet represents one of the solutions for making the
financial services field more competitive.
The traditional solutions will not be able to satisfy the modern clients
demands. No matter how many working points will be opened, the client
will always be at a certain distance from that; no matter for how many hours
the offices will be opened, the client will always work later than the closing
15
16
Source: E-Finance supplement of Piaa Financiar, February, 2001

Source: Piaa Financiar, December, 2000
hour. It is sure that a service to which a client can have access 24 hours out
of 24 a day, will be closer to the clients wishes. From the banks point of
view many branches opened represent high costs with the buildings,
employees salaries. On the other hand, E-Banking implies investing in
technology, applications that will provide the support for the development
of such activities, assuring the security of transactions, well functioning.
A short overview of the requirements and advantages will include:
In Romania, the analysis of the financial-banking market lead to the
following statements:
the technological endowment is old and isolated;
the economic climate needs a serious investment;
the legislative context continues to be rigid, but steps have been
made the projects of law regarding the e domain are waiting for
the approval of the Romanian Parliament;
major banks offering e-banking services proved to be successfully in
Romania.
For the establishment of electronic banking service platforms, the basic
requests are:
the rapid access, a simple connection to a variety of channels,
respecting the security business rules;
assure secure and rapid transactions;
the programming of the electronic applications must be simple;
to contain efficient administration utility programs;
Clients Benefits:
mobility;
comfort and cost savings;
24 hours per day, every day accessibility;
security that meets the very highest European standards;
people can focus their attention on achieving their every day
objectives;
time saved;
account management.
In Romania, the electronic payments could be a factor of revitalisation of
the monetary field. But there are still many things to be done.
Although the electronic payments are more efficient and cheaper than a
paper- based payment system, there are certain facts related to the
environment that are not favourable to the passing to the digital economy:
It appears that, even if steps have been made in order to gradually
adopt the electronic system, even if e-business continues to develop in
Romania and the IT market is increasing, Romania in not entirely
ready to accept the new era of digital economy; this is due to the fiscal
evasion manifested on the market, to the economic agents that are not
acting disciplinary, to the existence of a financial blockage, on one
hand. On the other hand, our monetary unit is not convertible and the
legislation is restrictive in the sense that it imposes a partial foreign
exchange control of the capital transactions, with implications over
the Romanian balance of payments.
In Romania, the infrastructure is not corresponding for the
development of e-business; the legislative framework has many gaps.
Recently, the Law of electronic signature was promulgated and this
represents a clear step toward e era of digital transactions; other
projects of law with the aim of regulating the electronic domain are in
a project phase: the law of e-commerce, the law regarding the
payment effecting through Internet, the law on the software parks, the
laws regarding e-banking and e-finance, the regulations regarding the
encryption.
The electronic payments are still in an incipient phase; in order for an
efficient electronic payment to be made, institutions like the National
Bank of Romania and other public institutions adopt electronic
systems, offer in-time and modern services. The clearing system
should be automatically be designed and effected.
The Romanian system, as a whole, is reticent to changes.
The electronic system does not benefit of trust.
In Romania there is no encouragement from authorities to use the
electronic system, there is no project sustaining the electronic system.
Romanians mentality, the conservatory regime is present also in the
field of electronic transactions.
5.5 Advantages and disadvantages of Internet banking
Cynics would say banking is being driven towards the Internet by fear and
greed: fear because everyone is afraid of being left behind and greed
because there is such potential to save money. While there is an element of

truth in this view, it is too glib an explanation of the real drivers and
potential of using the Internet in banking. If used to its full potential,
investment banking across the Internet in conjunction with the related
technologies of intranets and GroupWare could radically change the way
business is conducted to everyone's benefit and could do much to
democratise the finance sector. Banking could be more easily available to
individuals and smaller companies as well as making information accessible
in countries whose infrastructure is yet underdeveloped.
A survey published by management consultancy Booz-Allen & Hamilton in
August 1996[1] supports these arguments. It found that Internet personal
banking costs run at 15-20 per cent of income compared with the average
cost-to-income ratio of 60 per cent. Furthermore, starting an Internet-based
bank could cost as little as US$ one million because all the necessary
software is already available. When compared with the US$ 1.5-2 million
required to set up a single traditional branch and the US$ 350,000-500,000
per year to operate it, Internet banking clearly represents an extremely costeffective alternative to traditional branch banking networks. Needless to
say, Internet-based financial organisations could well afford to charge their
customers much less for the services they offer.
Investment banks are also investigating the opportunities offered by the
Internet. More than 70 of the world's top 100 banks already have a presence
on the Web, with the overall number of sites increasing at 90 per cent a
year. By March 1997, there were over 1400 financial servers delivering
information on the Web. Although the majority of such sites are currently
little more than electronic brochures about the banks' services, the race is on
to offer real services from Websites.
"There is no doubt that the Internet will become a fully fledged delivery
channel in a very short period of time," said Michael Berger, a member
of the Booz-Allen & Hamilton financial services team. "Ultimately, all
banks will have a Web presence and most would have advanced Web
sites capable of conducting most traditional banking transactions
within three years." Internet banking: What is it?
Online systems allow customers to plug into a host of banking services from
a personal computer by connecting with the bank's computers over
telephone wires. The convenience can be compelling. Not only is travel
time reduced, but also ATM machines; telephones banking or banking by
mail is often unnecessary. And, technology continues to make online
banking, once attempted only by computer enthusiasts, easier for the

average consumer.
Even that may not be easy enough, though. Many systems that offer greater
financial control also require more work. Online bill payment is an example
of an effort that requires setting up which leads to ultimate convenience.
Banks use a variety of names for online banking services, such as PC
banking, home banking, electronic banking or Internet banking.
Internet Banking: Many advantages
Regardless of the name, these systems offer certain advantages over
traditional banking methods.
Consumers can use their computers and a telephone modem to dial in
from home or any site where they have access to a computer.
The services are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Transactions are executed and confirmed quickly, although not
instantaneously. Processing time is comparable to that of an ATM
transaction.
And the range of transactions available is fairly broad. Customers can
do everything from simply checking on an account balance to
applying for a mortgage.
Internet Banking: There are disadvantages
There are also disadvantages.
The most obvious: Technophobes need not apply. You must be
comfortable using a computer.
Investment of time upfront can be formidable. The data entry is
necessary before the numbers can be massaged and money managed
successfully. Online bill payment is an example of an effort that
requires setting up which leads to ultimate convenience.
Other advantages of Internet banking are:
Easy 24-hour access to account information and transactions;
Automatic chequebook balancing;
Current and accurate account balance;

No monthly fee for bill paying or account access;
Electronic transfer of funds between accounts;
Free bank wires;
Immediate accesses to statements and cleared checks.
Future
Many experts agree that Internet Banking will revolutionise the World Wide
Web and completely change our perceptions and attitudes of an increasingly
digital society. Others suggest that Internet Banking and electronic
commerce will usher in a new and sinister digital era in which the US
Government will have access to all our PCs. We must, however, remember
our ancestors experience with the introduction of televisions. Many
believed that "Big Brother", otherwise known as the US government, would
be watching us through the television we purchased for our homes. Perhaps
a more realistic concern is the current state of security. With advances in
secure transmission technology, these concerns will be relieved.
Financial institutions will continue to offer PC-based home banking services
to their customers. Estimates of the number of PC home-banking customers
in 2000 range from the single- to double-digit millions. Microsoft now has
58 announced banking partners distributing its Money home-banking
software to customers, while Intuit has racked up 37 bank partners. Dozens
of other financial institutions are turning to bank-brandable software
available from a slew of more traditional banking vendors, such as CFI
ProServices, Online Resources & Communications and CheckFree
(Servants), as well as developing proprietary packages.
One thing is guaranteed the growth in US household PC penetration rates
and constant marketing references to the Internet and the World Wide Web
have increased the awareness of the PCs capability to communicate with
the world. As a result, interest in Internet Banking has accelerated.
After losing ground to non-banks in credit cards, mutual funds, and
mortgages, bankers hold more effective relationship management among
Internet Backings objectives. Financial institutions are hoping that Internet
Banking will assist in retention of their most profitable customers when
those customers relocate.
An important factor in the growth of Internet Banking is the number of

households that own personal computers. The number of households that
own personal computers grew by 16% last year, according to a new survey
by Computer Intelligence Infocorp, which interviewed 11,500 PC users.
That puts the total percentage at 38.5% of U.S. homes that have one or more
PCs. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, recent buyers tended
to be older and less-affluent Americans. The growth in PC ownership
among households making $10,000 to $30,000 was up nearly 25%, to a
range between 10% and 30% of the total, and about 20% of households
headed by people over 60 now contain a PC.
Advantages
The advantages of Internet Banking are numerous for both financial
institutions and users. For the Financial institutions, the most obvious
advantage is cost. The following table shows the relative costs to the bank
per transaction for the various channels:
Channel - Cost/Transaction
1. Branch Full Service: $ 1.07
2. Telephone Average: $ 0.54
3. ATM-full service: $ 0.27
4. PC banking (3rd party): $ 0.015
5. Internet Banking: $ 0.010
Although other surveys have come up with different figures, there is
consistency in one important sentiment; they all agree there are tremendous
potential cost savings if financial institutions manage to carry out a higher
percentage of their transactions over the Internet.
Another incentive for financial institutions is image. Having been famously
described by Bill Gates as "Dinosaurs", they are now eager to promote
themselves as innovators in order to attract customers and, more
importantly, to retain existing customers. Mr. Gates also commented "give
me a slice of the transaction industry and the banks are history". While he
has since made his peace with the banks, claiming that the Dinosaur
comment was aimed at their systems rather than at financial institutions
themselves, he has managed to incite them into action. They need to
remember that they have no divine right to rule the financial transactions
industry and can no longer afford to be complacent. Luckily, the U.S.
government denied Microsoft the opportunity to acquire Intuit due to
antitrust and monopoly restrictions; however, financial institutions should
still continue to take notice, as the spectre of Bill Gates still looms
ominously over the financial services industry.
Internet banking isnt just restricted to the countrys largest financial
institutions. Some of the more regional players, such as credit unions, are
also making their mark. The smaller size of these institutions has allowed
them to out-manoeuvre some of their larger competitors. One effect of the
trend towards Internet banking is to level the playing field so that even
smaller financial institutions can offer the type of sophisticated service
customers would normally expect only from a large bank. The increased
competition can benefit both the financial institution and the consumer. The
financial institutions will benefit from the drive to utilise the best
technology available (increased efficiencies, lower incremental transaction
costs). The consumer benefits from greater choices and lower costs. In
addition, Internet banking can be especially appealing to financial
institutions whose "members" are not located near branches (again
benefiting both the institution and consumer). In addition to providing
existing customers with access to banking services, Web sites operated by
financial institutions may also be used to solicit new customers.
For the user, the advantages are more obvious. The ability to pay bills
electronically, check balances, transfer money and do other banking tasks
from the office or a home P.C, saves time and increases efficiency. It also
simplifies account tracking and record-keeping.
Disadvantages
Security issues have always plagued the Internet. Although the Internet will
never be completely secure, the fact is that current fears are in many ways
irrational, fuelled by horror stories rather than fact. Recent advances in
security technology have lead to "more" secure systems. An example is the
development of SET by Microsoft and Visa. Another example is the
development of CSEPS and CSETS by Clay Pigeon Technologies. Perhaps
it is an indication of the power of the message provided by the media that
we worry about internet security but continue to use other insecure
transmission media such as the telephone to transfer confidential

information.
Socialists also suggest that Internet Banking "dehumanises" banking by
taking away social, human contacts. This argument raises two important
points:
1. Those of us think the idea of a great social event is to stand in line
waiting for a teller need not worry. Internet banking is not, at least for
the moment, intended as a replacement to the traditional brick-andmortar financial institution, but merely as an additional channel to
provide customer service and efficiency, much like telephone banking,
PC banking, and 'real' banks.
2. Internet banking is up and coming. Although it is important to be aware
of the security issues, there is nothing to prevent it from dramatically
changing the future of financial transactions.
Financial institutions proposing to provide services through the Internet
have to confront a number of legal issues. These include the problems of
authentication, electronic formation of contracts, and issues related to the
creation and protection of content provided on a financial institutions Web
site.
Regulators are also taking an interest, as foreign financial institutions are
increasingly able to solicit domestic residents. As well, the potential that
electronic cash will be increasingly adopted as a medium of exchange for
transactions conducted across the Internet is raising concerns that existing
forms of regulation may not be adequate.
Pros and cons about Internet banking
Intent banking can provide advantages and disadvantages.
The positive factors are:
Convenience. The services are open 24 hours a day, seven day a week. Bills
can be paid with a few keystrokes, so you do not have to write the check,
address and stamp envelopes.
Financial planning capability. Internet banking can give you fingertip
access to all areas of personal money management such as budgeting and
forecasting.
Low cost. Internet banking operate at an expense much lower than a branch.
Banks can be able to provide services at lower prices.
The possible negative factors may include:
Lack of person-to -person interaction. Since all transactions are executed
via computers, Internet banking is impersonal.
Computer overload. If the system goes down at the same time when you
want to do banking, you may have to fall back on traditional banking
methods.
Growing pains. Some Internet banking services are coming to market
before they are ready. Stories have surfaced about not working PIN numbers
or incompatible modems.
Service limits. You can not deposit online and you can not withdraw cash
from a PC. ("The ABCs of Banking Online", Black Enterprise. 26(8): 45-46.
1996 March).
Disadvantages of Internet banking compared to other systems
What are Internet Backings weaknesses compared to other alternative
delivery systems? A discussion of the weaknesses follows:
New developing technology - Internet Banking is the latest form of
technology for banks. Internet Banking is a developing technology
supporting self-service delivery channel. It is extremely customer driven
and responsive to the customers needs. Developing technologies such as
Internet Banking, though, run the risk of getting too far of ahead of the
banks; therefore, the banking industry will not be able to sell to the
customer. In reverse, the banking industry can get too far ahead of
technology, and banks will be able to deliver to the customer.
Unknown strategy- the dilemma of the "nervous banker" refers to the
banking industrys wait and sees approach. Banks are now struggling to
play catch-up. Banks have missed chances to strengthen customer
relationships by not taking full advantage of the Internets interactive
capabilities. They have viewed the Internet as a means of providing static
information promoting their products and services. The banking industrys

biggest challenge is in establishing an electronic banking strategy and fully
understanding its options and implications. The Internet is a new alternative
delivery channel, which requires new thinking and marketing efforts.
Investment cost - The initial cost investment of Internet Banking
technology is higher than the other forms of alternative delivery systems.
Due to inexperience, banks that attempted to establish Web home pages run
up against major problems. They need to invest in their own server, a highly
sophisticated and costly computer to create their Internet presence. The cost
estimated for a Web site ranges up to $60,000. Unlike the other systems, a
Web site costs an additional several thousand dollars per month in
maintenance costs. The complexity and the cost of creating and maintaining
a Web site on the Internet can quickly overwhelm Banks.
Security - Security is perceived as the biggest weakness of the Internet. The
Internet is a security nightmare because of its characteristics: public, open,
network of peer to peer networks, flat and mesh topology, connectionless
datagram routing, no central authority, protocols based on mutual trust, and
nave users. The banks rely on the secrecy or authenticity of information
and transactions on the Internet. Banks need to establish an infrastructure
that incorporates both security policies and management staff to support
information security.
CONCLUSION
Because the world directions in any field are drowned by the most
developed nation into the world we will report our conclusions to their
statistics. So, first will examine the Internet services situation generally and
after that we will conclude and about the Internet Banking situation. All
that, because this segment of market is already prepared to use the Internet
Banking solutions.
First: the Electronic Commerce (business-to-consumer) is one of engines
that are working for the Internet Banking cause. Forrester Research
estimated in 1997 that residents of five million U.S. households had
shopped for some product using the Internet. The number for 1998 was 10
million and the forecast for 1999 is that 13 million U.S. households will
shop on the Internet. Also IDC estimates the dollar volume of business-to-
consumer sales at $14.9 billion for 1998. The IDC forecast for 1999 is $31
billion. Other IDC predictions are $50.7 billion for 2000, $78 billion for
2001, $116.5 billion for 2002, and $177.7 billion for 2003. (See figure
below).
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

Second: Electronic Commerce: business-to-business17. International Data
Corp. (IDC) estimates that the dollar volume of business-to-business
electronic commerce in 1998 was $27.4 billion. The projected volume for
1999 is $64.8 billion. IDC forecasts $138.8 billion for 2000, $270.9 billion
for 2001, $526.4 billion for 2002, and $978.4 billion for 2003. (See next
figure)
17
- Internet - http://www.usic.org/papers/stateoftheinternet99.htm
Source: IDC, Inc. (1999)

In Romania the Internet Industry has a great potential and it is continuously
growing. In the year 2001 after a general agreement among all the Internet
Providers, there was implemented a Romanian Backbone that will improve
considerably the quality of the Internet Banking services. The Electronic
Signature Law was adopted by the Romanian Parliament. That low is very
important, because it helps the movement of electronic payments of
confidential data into the Internet with confidentiality and authentication of
sender and receiver (electronic signatures instead of ololgraphic ones).
There are a lot of banks in Romania that are already providing such a
services, such as: the Commercial Bank of Greece Romania, Demir Bank
(also and with a mobile banking using mobile phones), Bank Austria
Creditanstalt, City Bank Romania, Libra Bank, Banca Unirea, etc. So, we
estimate that soon that kind of banking service will have a great future in
Romania and all over the world.
Progress test
1.
2.
3.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
What is an e-bank activity?

What are the techniques of the banking operations performed through
the Videotext System?
List the three entities that take part in the Videotext system.
What are the functional characteristics of the Videotext system?
List some procedures by which it is possible to distribute electronic
banking products and services.
What are the main forms of Electronic Money?
List the main definitions.
List the main technological features of electronic money.
Define the legal framework in the e-services field.
Explain the impact of electronic money on monetary policy.
List the seven minimum requirements for electronic money schemes.
Show the main types of risk for e-banking activities and e-money.
What is the Romanian environment and development of e-banking
services
List the main elements of the new regulatory framework for ELMIs.
List the main elements of the new regulatory framework for Electronic
Money Institutions.
What are the advantages of Internet banking services from the bank
point of view?
What are the advantages of Internet banking services from the
individual client point of view?
What are the advantages of Internet banking services from the
institutional client point of view?
List some electronic banking services realised by the Romanian
banks.
What is the electronic signature under the provisions of the Romanian
legislation?
List the main advantages and disadvantages of Internet banking.
ANNEX No 1
Extract from the European Parliament and European Council
Directive 2000/31, concerning data confidentiality
Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of
June 2000 on concern legal aspects of information society services, in
particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market. (Directive on
electronic commerce)/ quotation regarding the confidentiality of data and
the definition of the information societies as stated by the Community Law.
(15) The confidentiality of communications is guaranteed by Article 5
Directive 97/66/EC; in accordance with that Directive, Member States
must prohibit any kind of interception or surveillance of such
communications by others than the senders and receivers, except when
legally authorised.
(17) The definition of information society services already exists in
Community law in Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of
information in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules
on information society services (21) and in Directive 98/84/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 1998 on the legal
protection of services based on, or consisting of, conditional access(22);
this definition covers any service normally provided for remuneration, at a
distance, by means of electronic equipment for the processing (including
digital compression) and storage of data, and at the individual request of a
recipient of a service; those services referred to in the indicative list in
Annex V to Directive 98/34/EC which do not imply data processing and
storage are not covered by this definition.
(18) Information society services span a wide range of economic activities
which take place on-line; these activities can, in particular, consist of
selling goods on-line; activities such as the delivery of goods as such or
the provision of services off-line are not covered; information society
services are not solely restricted to services giving rise to on-line
contracting but also, in so far as they represent an economic activity,
extend to services which are not remunerated by those who receive them,
such as those offering on-line information or commercial communications,
or those providing tools allowing for search, access and retrieval of data;
information society services also include services consisting of the

transmission of information via a communication network, in providing
access to a communication network or in hosting information provided by
a recipient of the service; television broadcasting within the meaning of
Directive EEC/89/552 and radio broadcasting are not information society
services because they are not provided at individual request; by contrast,
services which are transmitted point to point, such as video-on-demand or
the provision of commercial communications by electronic mail are
information society services; the use of electronic mail or equivalent
individual communications for instance by natural persons acting outside
their trade, business or profession including their use for the conclusion of
contracts between such persons is not an information society service; the
contractual relationship between an employee and his employer is not an
information society service; activities which by their very nature cannot be
carried out at a distance and by electronic means, such as the statutory
auditing of company accounts or medical advice requiring the physical
examination of a patient are not information society services.
ANNEX No 2
Extract from the European Directive concerning electronic signature
Directory 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the European
Council of 13 December on Community for electronic signatures gives the
definitions for the notions operating with when speaking about this subject
as follows:
Article 2
Definitions
For the purpose of this Directive:
1. "electronic signature" means data in electronic form which are attached to
or logically associated with other electronic data and which serve as a
method of authentication;
2. "advanced electronic signature" means an electronic signature, which
meets the following requirements:
(a) it is uniquely linked to the signatory;
(b) it is capable of identifying the signatory;
(c) it is created using means that the signatory can maintain under his
sole control; and (d) it is linked to the data to which it relates in such
a manner that any subsequent change of the data is detectable;
3. "signatory" means a person who holds a signature-creation device and
acts either on his own behalf or on behalf of the natural or legal person or
entity he represents;
4. "signature-creation data" means unique data, such as codes or private
cryptographic keys, which are used by the signatory to create an
electronic signature;
5. "signature-creation device" means configured software or hardware used
to implement the signature-creation data;
6. "secure-signature-creation device" means a signature-creation device

which meets the requirements laid down in Annex III;
7. "signature-verification-data" means data, such as codes or public
cryptographic keys, which are used for the purpose of verifying an
electronic signature;
8. "signature-verification device" means configured software or hardware
used to implement the signature-verification-data;
9. "certificate" means an electronic attestation, which links signatureverification data to a person and confirms the identity of that person;
10. "qualified certificate" means a certificate which meets the requirements
laid down in Annex I and is provided by a certification-service-provider
who fulfils the requirements laid down in Annex II;
11. "certification-service-provider" means an entity or a legal or natural
person who issues certificates or provides other services related to
electronic signatures;
12. "electronic-signature product" means hardware or software, or relevant
components thereof, which are intended to be used by a certificationservice-provider for the provision of electronic-signature services or are
intended to be used for the creation or verification of electronic
signatures;
13. "voluntary accreditation" means any permission, setting out rights and
obligations specific to the provision of certification services, to be
granted upon request by the certification-service-provider concerned, by
the public or private body charged with the elaboration of, and
supervision of compliance with, such rights and obligations, where the
certification-service-provider is not entitled to exercise the rights
stemming from the permission until it has received the decision by the
body.
ANNEX No 3
Extract from the Commission Recommendation 97/489/EC, of July,

1997 concerning transactions by electronic payment instruments and
the relationship between issuer and holder
Text:
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION of 30 July 1997 concerning
transactions by electronic payment instruments and in particular the
relationship between issuer and holder (Text with EEA relevance)
(97/489/EC)
SECTION I SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS
Article 1
Scope
1. This Recommendation applies to the following transactions: (a) transfers
of funds, other than those ordered and executed by financial institutions,
effected by means of an electronic payment instrument; (b) cash
withdrawals by means of an electronic payment instrument and the
loading (and unloading) of an electronic money instrument, at devices
such as cash dispensing machines and automated teller machines and at
the premises of the issuer or an institution who is under contract to accept
the payment instrument.
2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, Article 4 (1), the second and third
indents of Article 5 (b), Article 6, Article 7 (2) (c), (d) and the first indent
of (e), Article 8 (1), (2) and (3) and Article 9 (2) do not apply to
transactions effected by means of an electronic money instrument.
However, where the electronic money instrument is used to load (and
unload) value through remote access to the holders account, this
Recommendation is applicable in its entirety.
3. This recommendation does not apply to (a) payments by cheques; (b) the
guarantee function of certain cards in relation to payments by cheques.
Article 2
Definitions
For the purpose of this recommendation, the following definitions apply:
(a)electronic payment instrument` means an instrument enabling its holder
to effect transactions of the kind specified in Article 1 (1). This covers both
remote access payment instruments and electronic money instruments;
(b) remote access payment instrument` means an instrument enabling a
holder to access funds held on his/her account at an institution, whereby
payment is allowed to be made to a payee and usually requiring a personal
identification code and/or any other similar proof of identity. This includes
in particular payment cards (whether credit, debit, deferred debit or charge
cards) and phone- and home-banking applications; (c)electronic money
instrument` means a reloadable payment instrument other than a remote
access payment instrument, whether a stored-value card or a computer
memory, on which value units are stored electronically, enabling its holder
to effect transactions of the kind specified in Article 1 (1); (d) financial
institution` means an institution as defined in Article 4(1) of Council
Regulation (EC) No 3604/93 (5); (e) issuer` means a person who, in the
course of his business, makes available to another person a payment
instrument pursuant to a contract concluded with him/her; (f)holder` means
a person who, pursuant to a contract concluded between him/her and an
issuer, holds a payment instrument.
SECTION II TRANSPARENCY OF CONDITIONS
FOR TRANSACTIONS
Article 3
Minimum information contained in the terms and conditions governing the
issuing and use of an electronic payment instrument
1. Upon signature of the contract or in any event in good time prior to
delivering an electronic payment instrument, the issuer communicates to
the holder the contractual terms and conditions (hereinafter referred to as
the terms`) governing the issue and use of that electronic payment
instrument. The terms indicate the law applicable to the contract.
2. The terms are set out in writing, including where appropriate by
electronic means, in easily understandable words and in a readily
comprehensive form, and are available at least in the official language or
languages of the Member State in which the electronic payment
instrument is offered.
3. The terms include at least: (a) a description of the electronic payment

instrument, including where appropriate the technical requirements with
respect to the holders communication equipment authorised for use, and
the way in which it can be used, including the financial limits applied, if
any; (b) a description of the holders and issuers respective obligations
and liabilities; they include a description of the reasonable steps that the
holder must take to keep safe the electronic payment instrument and the
means (such as a personal identification number or other code) which
enable it to be used; (c) where applicable, the normal period within which
the holders account will be debited or credited, including the value date,
or, where the holder has no account with the issuer, the normal period
within which he/she will be invoiced; (d)the types of any charges payable
by the holder. In particular, this includes where applicable details of the
following charges: -the amount of any initial and annual fees, -any
commission fees and charges payable by the holder to the issuer for
particular types of transactions, -any interest rate, including the manner
of its calculation, which may be applied; (e) the period of time during
which a given transaction can be contested by the holder and an
indication of the redress and complaints procedures available to the
holder and the method of gaining access to them.
4. If the electronic payment instrument is usable for transactions abroad
(outside the country of issuing/affiliation), the following information is
also communicated to the holder: (a) an indication of the amount of any
fees and charges levied for foreign currency transactions, including
where appropriate the rates; (b) the reference exchange rate used for
converting foreign currency transactions, including the relevant date for
determining such a rate.
Article 4
Information subsequent to a transaction 1. The issuer supplies the holder
with information relating to the transactions effected by means of an
electronic payment instrument. This information, set out in writing,
including where appropriate by electronic means, and in a readily
comprehensible form, includes at least: (a) a reference enabling the holder
to identify the transaction, including, where appropriate, the information
relating to the acceptor at/with which the transaction took place; (b) the
amount of the transaction debited to the holder in billing currency and,
where applicable, the amount in foreign currency; (c) the amount of any fees
and charges applied for particular types of transactions. The issuer also
provides the holder with the exchange rate used for converting foreign
currency transactions. 2. The issuer of an electronic money instrument
provides the holder with the possibility of verifying the last five transactions
executed with the instrument and the outstanding value stored thereon.
SECTION III OBLIGATIONS AND LIABILITIES OF THE PARTIES
TO A CONTRACT
Article 5 Obligations of the holder
The holder: (a) uses the electronic payment instrument in accordance with
the terms governing the issuing and use of a payment instrument; in
particular, the holder takes all reasonable steps to keep safe the electronic
payment instrument and the means (such as a personal identification number
or other code) which enable it to be used; (b) notifies the issuer (or the
entity specified by the latter) without delay after becoming aware of: -the
loss or theft of the electronic payment instrument or of the means which
enable it to be used, -the recording on his/her account of any unauthorised
transaction, -any error or other irregularity in the maintaining of that
account by the issuer; (c)does not record his personal identification number
or other code in any easily recognisable form, in particular on the electronic
payment instrument or on any item which he/she keeps or carries with the
electronic payment instrument; (d)does not countermand an order which
he/she has given by means of his/her electronic payment instrument, except
if the amount was not determined when the order was given.
Article 6 Liabilities of the holder
1. Up to the time of notification, the holder bears the loss sustained in
consequence of the loss or theft of the electronic payment instrument up
to a limit, which may not exceed ECU 150, except where he/she acted
with extreme negligence, in contravention of relevant provisions under
Article 5 (a), (b) or (c), or fraudulently, in which case such a limit does
not apply.
2. As soon as the holder has notified the issuer (or the entity specified by the
latter) as required by Article 5 (b), except where he/she acted
fraudulently, he/she is not thereafter liable for the loss arising in
consequence of the loss or theft of his/her electronic payment
instrument.3. By derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2, the holder is not
liable if the payment instrument has been used, without physical
presentation or electronic identification (of the instrument itself). The use

of a confidential code or any other similar proof of identity is not, by
itself, sufficient to entail the holder's liability.
Article 7 Obligations of the issuer
1. The issuer may alter the terms, provided that sufficient notice of the
change is given individually to the holder to enable him/her to withdraw
if he/she so chooses. A period of not less than one month is specified
after which time the holder is deemed to have accepted the terms if
he/she has not withdrawn. However, any significant change to the actual
interest rate is not subject to the provisions of the first subparagraph and
comes into effect upon the date specified in the publication of such a
change. In this event, and without prejudice to the right of the holder to
withdraw from the contract, the issuer informs the holder individually
thereof as soon as possible. 2. The issuer: (a) does not disclose the
holder's personal identification number or other code, except to the
holder; (b) does not dispatch an unsolicited electronic payment
instrument, except where it is a replacement for an electronic payment
instrument already held by the holder; (c) keeps for a sufficient period of
time, internal records to enable the transactions referred to in Article 1
(1) to be traced and errors to be rectified; (d) ensures that appropriate
means are available to enable the holder to make the notification required
under Article 5 (b). Where notification is made by telephone, the issuer
(or the entity specified by the latter) provides the holder with the means
of proof that he/she has made such a notification; (e) proves, in any
dispute with the holder concerning a transaction referred to in Article 1
(1), and without prejudice to any proof to the contrary that may be
produced by the holder, that the transaction: -was accurately recorded
and entered into accounts, -was not affected by technical breakdown or
other deficiency.
Article 8 Liabilities of the issuer
1. The issuer is liable, subject to Article 5, Article 6 and Article 7 (2) (a) and
(e): (a) for the non-execution or defective execution of the holder's
transactions referred to in Article 1 (1), even if a transaction is initiated at
devices/terminals or through equipment which are not under the issuer's
direct or exclusive control, provided that the transaction is not initiated at
devices/terminals or through equipment unauthorised for use by the
issuer; (b) for transactions not authorised by the holder, as well as for any
error or irregularity attributable to the issuer in the maintaining of the
holder's account.
2. Without prejudice to paragraph 3, the amount of the liability indicated in
paragraph 1 consists of: (a) the amount of the unexcited or defectively
executed transaction and, if any, interest thereon; (b) the sum required to
restore the holder to the position he/she was in before the unauthorised
transaction took place.
3. Any further financial consequences, and, in particular, those concerning
the extent of the damage for which compensation is to be paid, are borne
by the issuer in accordance with the law applicable to the contract
concluded between the issuer and the holder.
4. The issuer is liable to the holder of an electronic money instrument for
the lost amount of value stored on the instrument and for the defective
execution of the holder's transactions, where the loss or defective
execution is attributable to a malfunction of the instrument, of the
device/terminal or any other equipment authorised for use, provided that
the malfunction was not caused by the holder knowingly or in breach of
Article 3 (3) (a).

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Electronic Banking Services

Electronic Banking Services

5.1 Introduction into e banking services

Source: Piaa Financiar magazine, November, 2000

Electronic Banking Services

The communication in both ways raised some problems regarding:

- It asks and answers to the customer, partially based on pre-recorded

Electronic Banking Services

Electronic Banking Services

Electronic Banking Services

The Techniques of the Banking Operations Performed through the Videotext

Electronic Banking Services

Electronic Banking Services

Source: E-Finance, supplement of Piaa Financiar magazine, December, 2000

Electronic Banking Services

These banking products and services can include: attracting banking

According to E-Finance, supplement of Piaa Financiar magazine, March, 2001

Electronic Banking Services

A distinguishing feature of transactions carried out with electronic money is

stored on an electronic device;

issued on receipt of funds of an amount not less in value than the

ECB Monthly Bulletin November 2000.

Electronic Banking Services

(iii) accepted as mean of payment by undertakings other than the issuer.

Electronic Banking Services

identification of both parties to the transaction, since their bank accounts

Advantages6 of Internet Banking Services -analysed from banks and also

Source: Net Report magazine, February, 2001

Electronic Banking Services

good image on the market;

5.2.1 Development of electronic money in the Euro area; electronic money

Electronic Banking Services

Second, the effectiveness of monetary policy instruments might be

Electronic Banking Services

Third, the emergence of electronic money might have repercussions on

The Eurosystems policy on electronic money

issuers of electronic money must be subject to prudential supervision;

electronic money schemes must have solid and transparent legal

(iii) electronic money schemes must maintain adequate technical,

(vi) issuers of electronic money must be legally obliged to redeem it at par

the interaction of electronic money schemes;

European Central Bank

Electronic Banking Services

the adoption of adequate guarantee, insurance or loss-sharing

Hence a framework is needed to ensure that electronic money schemes are

the limitation of activities article 1 limits the business activities of

the scope of application of banking Directives Article 2 stipulates

Redeemability- Article 3 stipulates that the bearer of electronic money

The limitation of investments Article 5 requires that ELMIs invest an

Electronic Banking Services

to quantitative limitations, a 20% credit risk weighting. Limitations

Electronic Banking Services

The Commercial Bank Ion Tiriac introduced Office2Office electronic

Electronic Banking Services

Alphaline is a very modern, accessible and secure home-banking service,

Source: Piaa Financiar magazine, September, 2000

Electronic Banking Services

Document2, which will be soon proposed to Commission members

Electronic Banking Services