One Year of SEPA in Macedonia: Savings Above €5 Million, 581,000 Payments and 69% of Cross-Border Euro Payments
On October 7 the National Bank said that since joining SEPA savings above €5 million have been achieved, with fees cut up to six times for citizens and up to nine times for companies.
Macedonia a year ago, on October 7, 2025, joined the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). The National Bank (NBRM) said on October 7, 2026 that “as a result of integration into SEPA savings of more than 5 million euros are estimated to have been achieved so far.” According to NBRM data, by September 2026 more than 581,000 SEPA transactions had been carried out with a total value of about 11 billion euros.
Payment fees have been cut up to six times for citizens and up to nine times for companies, compared with the previous correspondent banking model. In September 2026 SEPA accounted for 69% of cross-border euro payments: 67% of outgoing and 70% of incoming. This means most of these payments already go through the new system.
What SEPA means in practice: euro payments to the system’s member countries are executed under a standardized procedure, instead of through an intermediary bank that charges separately. Those who can benefit are people receiving money from family abroad, people paying for services from abroad and companies trading with European partners.
An important note: the savings of more than 5 million euros is an NBRM estimate, and the fee reductions of “up to six” and “up to nine” times are the maximum from the comparison with the correspondent model, not an average for every payment. How much a given citizen pays depends on the bank and the type of payment, so the real reduction is best seen in each bank’s fee schedule.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 18, 2026
