# Netherlands — payment codes and schemes

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL
> extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

## Summary

- **iDEAL** dominates Dutch online payments (~70% of e-commerce, €141B in 2024)
- **Tikkie** is the leading P2P payment app (€7.4B in 2024, 157M requests)
- The Netherlands is an **instant payments pioneer** - SCT Inst is the default for all bank transfers
- **EPC QR code** adopted in 2016, supported by most banks
- **Wero** will replace iDEAL from 2026-2027 as part of European Payments Initiative

## Banking landscape

### Central Bank
- **Name:** De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB)
- **Website:** https://www.dnb.nl/
- **Role:** Regulator, ECB supervision since 2014

### Major Banks (2024)

| Rank | Bank Name | Total Assets (EUR) | Market Share | Type |
|------|-----------|-------------------|--------------|------|
| 1 | ING Bank NV | 1,020,720 M | 37.06% | Commercial |
| 2 | Rabobank | 629,250 M | 22.84% | Cooperative |
| 3 | ABN AMRO Bank NV | 385,050 M | 13.98% | Commercial |
| 4 | De Volksbank | ~60,000 M | ~2% | State-owned |
| 5 | Triodos Bank | ~15,000 M | ~0.5% | Ethical |

**Market Concentration:** Top 3 banks hold **73.88%** of total banking assets
**Total Banks:** 102 operating in the Netherlands
**Banking Sector Size:** 262.86% of GDP

### Key Industry Organizations
- **Betaalvereniging Nederland:** Dutch Payments Association
- **Currence:** iDEAL scheme owner (acquired by EPI in 2023)

---

## Payment infrastructure

### National Payment Systems

| System | Operator | Type | Status |
|--------|----------|------|--------|
| iDEAL | Currence/EPI | Online payments | Active (1.5B+ transactions/year) |
| TIPS | ECB (via DNB) | Instant payments | Active |
| Tikkie | ABN AMRO | P2P requests | Active |
| Wero | EPI | Pan-European | Rolling out 2025-2026 |

### Instant Payments
- **Status:** The Netherlands is a pioneer - SCT Inst is the **default** for all single credit transfers
- **Launch:** April 2019
- **Processing Time:** Sub-10 seconds
- **Volume:** >40 million inter-bank SEPA instant transfers per month
- **Coverage:** >95% of payment accounts reachable from launch

### TIPS Participation
- All major Dutch banks connected to TIPS
- DNB oversees compliance
- Full participation mandate applied

### iDEAL Statistics (2024)
- **Transaction Volume:** >1.5 billion transactions/year
- **Transaction Value:** €141 billion
- **Market Share:** ~70% of e-commerce
- **Banks:** All major Dutch banks

---

## QR code standards

### iDEAL QR (Primary)

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Standard Name** | iDEAL QR |
| **Type** | Payment initiation QR |
| **Operator** | Currence (now EPI) |
| **Use Case** | Online and mobile payments |
| **Bank Support** | Rabobank, ABN AMRO, ING, Knab (varying levels) |

#### Important Notes on Bank Compatibility
- **Rabobank:** Full iDEAL QR scan support in mobile app
- **ABN AMRO:** Only scans ABN AMRO-generated QR codes
- **ING:** Limited direct QR scanning (use Tikkie instead)
- **Knab:** Full SEPA QR support

### EPC QR Code (European Standard)

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Standard Name** | EPC QR / SEPA QR |
| **Type** | SEPA Credit Transfer initiation |
| **Adopted in NL** | 2016 |
| **Bank Support** | ASN, ING, SNS, Knab, Bunq |

#### Data Structure (BCD Format)
Same as European standard:
```
BCD
002
1
SCT
[BIC]
[Recipient Name]
[IBAN]
EUR[Amount]
[Purpose Code]
[Reference]
[Remittance Info]
```

### Tikkie QR

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Standard Name** | Tikkie QR |
| **Type** | Payment request QR |
| **Operator** | ABN AMRO |
| **Users** | All Dutch bank account holders |
| **Limit:** €1,000 per request |

#### 2024 Statistics
- **Requests:** 157 million
- **Total Value:** €7.4 billion (+8% YoY)
- **Average Amount:** €47.28
- **Rate:** 5.3 Tikkies paid per second
- **Use Cases:** P2P, deposit returns, retail

### Wero QR (Future Standard)

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Type** | Pan-European payment QR |
| **Status** | Rolling out 2025-2026 |
| **Features** | QR code generation without phone disclosure |

---

## Mobile payment apps

| App Name | Bank | iDEAL QR | SEPA QR | Tikkie | Instant Pay |
|----------|------|----------|---------|--------|-------------|
| ING Mobiel Bankieren | ING | Limited | Yes | Via Tikkie | Yes |
| Rabobank App | Rabobank | Yes | Yes | Compatible | Yes |
| ABN AMRO App | ABN AMRO | Own QR only | Limited | Native | Yes |
| ASN Bank App | De Volksbank | Yes | Yes | Compatible | Yes |
| SNS App | De Volksbank | Yes | Yes | Compatible | Yes |
| Bunq | Bunq | Yes | Yes | Compatible | Yes |
| Knab | Knab | Yes | Yes | Compatible | Yes |

### Key App Features
- **Instant Transfers:** Default for all single transfers
- **Biometric Login:** All major apps
- **QR Login:** ABN AMRO uses QR for web banking authentication
- **Payment Requests:** All support creating shareable requests

---

## Third-party payment apps

| App Name | Type | QR Support | iDEAL | Users/Notes |
|----------|------|------------|-------|-------------|
| Tikkie | P2P/Request | Yes | Yes | 157M requests/year |
| Betaalverzoek.nl | P2P | Yes | Yes | Multi-bank |
| Apple Pay | NFC Wallet | No | No | Card-based |
| Google Pay | NFC Wallet | No | No | Card-based |
| PayPal | Online | No | Yes | iDEAL linked |

### Tikkie Features
- Developed by ABN AMRO, works with all Dutch banks
- WhatsApp integration for sharing requests
- QR codes at deposit return machines (schools, stations, retail)
- No registration required for payers

---

## Schemes

| Scheme | Type | Symbology | Adoption | Technical standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [iDEAL QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL/ideal-qr) | Payment QR | QR Code | All banks | [`ideal-qr`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ideal-qr) |
| [Tikkie QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL/tikkie-qr) | Request QR | QR Code | Via ABN AMRO | [`tikkie-qr`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/tikkie-qr) |
| [EPC QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL/epc-qr) | SEPA QR | QR Code | Most banks | [`epc-qr`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/epc-qr) |
| [Wero QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL/wero-qr) | Pan-EU QR | QR Code | 2025-2027 | [`wero`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/wero) |

## Sources

- [DNB - Introduction of Instant Payments](https://www.dnb.nl/en/general-news/news-2021/introduction-of-instant-payments-across-the-euro-area/)
- [Dutch Payments Association - Instant Payments](https://www.betaalvereniging.nl/en/focus/giro-based-and-online-payments/instant-payments/)
- [ABN AMRO - Tikkie 2024 Results](https://www.abnamro.com/en/news/tikkie-payments-reach-record-7-4-billion-euros-in-2024)
- [TheBanks.eu - Netherlands Major Banks](https://thebanks.eu/countries/Netherlands/major_banks)
- [Wikipedia - EPC QR Code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPC_QR_code)
- [EPI Company - iDEAL to Wero](https://epicompany.eu/media-insights/ideal-to-phase-into-wero)
- [DutchNews - iDEAL to Disappear](https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/12/ideal-to-disappear-as-european-payment-system-wero-rolls-out/)
- [MultiSafepay - iDEAL 2.0](https://www.multisafepay.com/blog/ideal-20-and-why-local-payment-gateways-matter-for-your-business)
- [ABN AMRO - QR Code Info](https://www.abnamro.nl/nl/prive/internet-en-mobiel/abn-amro-app/qr-code.html)
- [European Payments Council - QR Code Standardisation](https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/document-library/guidance-documents/standardisation-qr-codes-mscts)
- [Betaalvereniging Nederland - Payment reference](https://www.betaalvereniging.nl/en/knowledge-base/special-accounts-and-services/payment-reference/)
- [Wikipedia (nl) - Elfproef](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfproef)
- [Betaalvereniging Nederland - NL IG SEPA Credit Transfer C2B 2023 v1.0](https://www.betaalvereniging.nl/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/11/Betaalvereniging-NL_IG-C2B-SEPA-Credit-Transfer_2023_v1.0.pdf)
- [Belastingdienst - Betalingskenmerk bepaling v1.5](https://odb.belastingdienst.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Specificatie-Betalingskenmerk_bepaling_1.5.pdf)
- [Banken.nl - Einddatum gebruik Acceptgiro voor onbepaalde tijd uitgesteld (2017)](https://www.banken.nl/nieuws/20218/einddatum-gebruik-acceptgiro-voor-onbepaalde-tijd-uitgesteld)
- [Radar (AVROTROS) - Acceptgiro bijna afgeschaft](https://radar.avrotros.nl/artikel/acceptgiro-bijna-afgeschaft-is-er-een-papieren-alternatief-en-nog-meer-vragen-54541)
- [Banken.nl - Betaalvereniging introduceert standaard Betaalinstructie (2018)](https://www.banken.nl/nieuws/20950/betaalvereniging-nederland-en-leden-introduceren-standaard-betaalinstructie)
- [EPC069-12 v3.0 - Quick Response Code Guidelines](https://europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/sites/default/files/kb/file/2022-09/EPC069-12%20v3.0%20Quick%20Response%20Code%20-%20Guidelines%20to%20Enable%20the%20Data%20Capture%20for%20the%20Initiation%20of%20an%20SCT_0.pdf)

## Full country report

[NL-netherlands.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NL)