
Payment Services and Electronic Money Issuance Services
Payment services are regulated at EU level by the Directive on payment services in the internal market, which was transposed into Slovenian law by the Payment Services, Services for Issuing Electronic Money and Payment Systems Act (ZPlaSSIED). Article 5 of the aforementioned law defines which activities are considered to be payment services. In Slovenia payment services may only be provided by payment service providersthat have been granted an authorisation, or who provide payment services on the basis of the law itself. Payment service providers are defined in Article 20 of the ZPlaSSIED.
Electronic money issuance services are regulated by the Directive on the taking up, pursuit and prudential supervision of the business of electronic money institutions, which was also transposed into Slovenian law by the ZPlaSSIED. In accordance with ZPlaSSIED(point 11 of Article 4), electronic money in simplified term means an electronic surrogate for currency (banknotes and coins) which is issued on receipt of funds for the purpose of making payment transactions (not for saving) by an electronic money issuer and is accepted as a means of payment by a person other than the electronic money issuer, whereas the electronic money holder may require the redemption of the issued electronic money at any time, at par value. Electronic money issuance services may be provided in Slovenia solely by electronic money issuers who have obtained the requisite authorisation, or who provide these services on the basis of the law and are cited in Article 158 of the ZPlaSSIED.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 on markets in crypto-assets, and amending Regulations (EU) No 1093/2010 and (EU) No 1095/2010 and Directives 2013/36/EU and (EU) 2019/1937 (the MiCAR) deems e-money tokens to be electronic money, to which the following apply:
they entail a type of cryptoasset that purports to maintain a stable value by referencing the value of one official currency;
issuers of e-money tokens do not grant interest in relation to e-money tokens; and
holders of e-money tokens have a claim against the issuers of those e-money tokens.
Under the MiCAR, entities who intend to offer e-money tokens to the public or seek their admission to trading are required to first obtain an authorisation either as an electronic money institution or as a bank. Obtaining an authorisation solely for the issuance of e-money tokens is not envisaged under the MiCAR. Issuers of e-money tokens must notify Banka Slovenije at least 40 working days in advance of their intention to offer e-money tokens to the public or to seek their admission to trading. They must also notify Banka Slovenije at least 20 working days in advance of the publication of their cryptoasset white paper.
For more information about cryptoassets and Banka Slovenije’s powers in connection with the MiCAR, see the Cryptoasset FAQs.
Payment service providers
Payment services may be provided in Slovenia by payment service providers as defined by the Payment Services, Services for Issuing Electronic Money and Payment Systems Act (ZPlaSSIED):
credit institutions,
payment institutions, which are corporations established for the purpose of providing payment services as their core business activity, but which may also pursue other economic activities (hybrid payment institutions),
electronic money institutions, which are corporations established for the purpose of issuing electronic money; in addition to issuing electronic money they may also provide payment services or other commercial transactions, including the service of operating payment systems (hybrid electronic money institutions).
payment institutions and electronic money institutions with an exemption, which provide payment services and electronic money issuance services under specific conditions and in a limited scope.
The ZPlaSSIED, which governs the provision of payment services in Slovenia, also sets out certain exclusions (Article 3) to which its provisions do not apply.
Services excluded from application of the ZPlaSSIED on the basis of point 11 of the first paragraph of Article 3 of the ZPlaSSIED (limited networks)
An exclusion from the ZPlaSSIED applies to services based on special payment instruments that can be used only in a limited way and at the same time meet one of the following conditions:
they allow the holder to purchase goods or services solely in the issuer’s premises, or within a limited network of service providers under direct commercial agreement with a professional issuer,
they can be used only to acquire a limited range of goods or services, or
they are valid solely in Slovenia, are provided at the request of an undertakingor public sector entity, and are regulated by a national or public authority or a local government body for specific social or tax purposes for the purchase of special goods or services from suppliers that have signed a commercial agreement with the issuer.
Services excluded from application of the ZPlaSSIED on the basis of point 12 of the first paragraph of Article 3 of the ZPlaSSIED
An exclusion from the ZPlaSSIED also applies to payment transactions that a provider of an electronic communication network or services provides in addition to electronic communication services for a subscriber to the network or services:
for the purchase of digital content and voice services, irrespective of the device employed to purchase or use the digital content, and that are charged to the relevant account, or
through or with an electronic device, and that are charged to the relevant account within the framework of charitable activities or for the purchase of cards;
provided that the value of the individual payment transaction referred to in point (i) or (ii) does not exceed EUR 50 and:
the total value of the payment transactions for an individual subscriber does not exceed EUR 300, or
the subscriber loads their account with the provider of the electronic communication network or services in advance, and the total value of the payment transactions does not exceed EUR 300 per month.
Providers of electronic communication networks or services who provide the aforementioned activities must send Banka Slovenije notification in accordance with Article 23 of the ZPlaSSIED, and must provide an annual auditor’s opinion confirming that the activities comply with the limits imposed by the ZPlaSSIED.
Register of service providers excluded from the ZPlaSSIED
Banka Slovenije maintains a register of the aforementioned service providers excluded from application of the ZPlaSSIED, in the form of a centralised database of service providers of this kind.
Banka Slovenije publishes the following lists within the framework of the register:
List of providers of services excluded from application of the ZPlaSSIED on the basis of point 11 of the first paragraph of Article 3 of the ZPlaSSIED (limited network)
List of providers of electronic communication networks or services excluded from application of the ZPlaSSIED on the basis of point 12 of the first paragraph of Article 3 of the ZPlaSSIED
A list of service providers within limited network excluded from the provisions of the ZPlaSSIED under Article 3(11) of the ZPlaSSIED (limited network exclusion)
Service provider | Identification number | Address | Description of the activity and exclusion of provided service1 |
PETROL, | 6395791000 | Dunajska cesta 50, | - card for purchase of fuel and of all products offered in stores at the gas stations and motor vehicle service (1) |
OMV SLOVENIJA, | 5540739000 | Ulica 15.maja 19, | - card for purchase of fuel, tolls, tunnels, bridges and parking lots, lubricants and other equipment for motor vehicles (1, 2) |
POSLOVNI SISTEM | 5300231000 | Dunajska cesta 107 | - card for purchase of assortment of products and services offered by the issuer and it's business partners (1) |
JAVNO PODJETJE | 5222966000 | Celovška cesta 160 | - card for purchase of public services (1) |
Shell Adria, Trading Company Ltd. | 1414321000 | Bravničarjeva ulica 13 | - card for purchase of fuel, tolls, tunnels, lubricants and other equipment for motor vehicles (2) |
EOC družba za trgovino, posredovanje in storitve d. o. o. | 1403575000 | Kraljeviča Marka ulica 27 2000 Maribor | - card for purchase of fuel and AdBlue (1, 2) |
MOL Slovenija, trgovsko podjetje, d. o. o. | 5952441000 | Lendavska ulica 24 9000 Murska Sobota | - card for purchase of fuel, tolls, lubricants and other equipment for motor vehicles (2) - card for purchase of all products offered in stores at the gas stations, fuel, tolls, lubricants and other equipment for motor vehicles (1) - card for purchase of all products offered in stores at the gas stations, fuel, lubricants and other equipment for motor vehicle (1) |
Mestna občina Novo mesto
Mestna občina Nova Gorica | 5883288000
5881773000 | Seidlova cesta 1 8000 Novo mesto Trg Edvarda Kardelja 1 5000 Nova Gorica | - card issued by the municipality for purchase of local services of public interest (eg. public transport, parking) in order to fulfil the needs of citizens of the municipality |
1 Exclusion from the provisions of the ZPlaSSIED, to which services under Article 3(1)(11) of the ZPlaSSIED are provided:
(1) instruments allowing the holder to acquire goods or services only in the premises of the issuer or within a limited network of service providers under direct commercial agreement with a professional issuer
(2) instruments which can be used only to acquire a very limited range of goods or services
A list of providers of electronic communications networks or services excluded from the provisions of the ZPlaSSIED under Article 3(12) of the ZPlaSSIED
Currently no such service providers exist in the Republic of Slovenia.