Stampa

A414 - POSTAL PAYMENT SLIPS: COMMITMENTS PROPOSED BY POSTE ITALIANE HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED


PRESS RELEASE



PRESS RELEASE

POSTAL PAYMENT SLIPS: ANTITRUST AUTHORITY ACCEPTS COMMITMENTS BY POSTE ITALIANE. SOON POSSIBLE TO PAY THEM ON-LINE THROUGH BANK ACCOUNTS AND OTHER CONVENIENT ALTERNATIVES

Investigation into a possible abuse of dominant position in the collection and payment services sector concludes without the ascertainmentof a violation or the establishment of fines. Consumers to enjoy wider range of choices among competing systems of payment.



On December 16th, 2009, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato accepted binding commitments proposed by Poste Italiane during an investigation into a possible abuse of dominant position in the collection and payment services sector. The commitments open up alternative methods (compared to the ones offered by Poste Italiane) for consumers to pay postal payment slips (bollettini postali), giving them ways to avoid the Euro 1.10 (over-the-counter) and Euro 1.00 (on-line on postal accounts) fees. By March 31st, in fact, Poste Italiane is required to incorporate the IBAN code on the payment form and to allow for a bar code that identifies the creditor. Given that many bank contracts provide for cost-free transactions via the Internet, for instance, consumers with on-line bank accounts can thus save time and money by paying from home. Presently, the only on-line alternative to payment on Poste Italiane SpA accounts is payment by credit card, which costs 2 Euro per payment slip or 2% of the billed amount (for payments over 100.01 Euro). Incorporation of the bar code will also make it possible to use various non-banking alternatives, such as automated pay points in tobacco shops managed by Lottomatica or Sisal, in order to speed up the process of making payments to participating beneficiaries.
The Antitrust Authority found the commitments proposed by Poste Italiane to be sufficient to remove the anti-competitive elements that triggered the investigation. The payers will in fact be able to choose among different payment systems on the basis of the different costs and methods being offered, bringing these alternative systems into genuine competition with the traditional post office payment method.  
In order to ensure appropriate accounting procedures, Poste Italiane has also committed itself to providing payment recipients (public administrations, public utilities, etc.) with regular reports of the payments received from the bank of origin or other payment service providers. This measure should lead to the development of new accounting systems that are equally valid for non-postal payments, according to the Antitrust Authority, resulting in increased interoperability at the level of payment systems, which should prime competitive pressures among Poste Italiane, the banking system and other operators.
Poste Italiane, which is obliged to provide maximum publicity for these new payment methods, has also committed itself to modifying the "Il portale dell’automobilista" (Car driver's portal) platform for the on-line payment of automobile fees so that bank account holders can make on-line payments in the same manner as BancoPosta holders.
               

Rome, 28th December 2009