.svg)
Menu
Direct Remittance allowed businesses to send bulk payments, for salaries and invoices, directly to Mastercard Payment Services (Nets). It supported BBS and other file formats, and offered bank-independent payment handling.
But it’s built on outdated infrastructure, and is now being phased out due to:
- New EU and industry-wide payment standards (ISO 20022)
- Security and compliance requirements (AML/KYC)
- Banks reclaiming control of their payment interfaces
- Mastercard’s modernisation strategy
If you rely on Direct Remittance – directly or via your ERP – this change affects you.
Aritma Pay is a conversion solution, acting as a bridge between your accounting system and your online bank. It seamlessly converts outdated payment formats, like direct remittance, to the new standard.
This allows you to continue using the same format, while Aritma Pay manages all the conversion and communication with the bank.
No need for manual file uploads.
Your system
ERP
Payroll system
Other expert systems
Old payment formats
ISO 20022 XML
Your bank
No ability to pay salaries or invoices automatically
Increased manual work in your accounting team
Delayed payments, strained vendor relationships
Compliance risks
Future-proof payment infrastructure
Richer payment data (ISO 20022)
Automated approvals and full audit trail
Bank independence and better liquidity control
.svg)
1. Assessment
Contact us to evaluate your current payment setup. We initiate a brief meeting where we assess your needs and discuss the optimal timeline for implementation.
2. Installation
We schedule a time for installation and send test payments to ensure everything is functioning as intended.
3. Go Live
Aritma Pay now communicates seamlessly with the bank and your accounting system, managing the new ISO 20022 XML format on your behalf. You can continue your work as usual while we handle the rest.
Aritma Pay is the ideal solution for businesses seeking a seamless transition from Telepay to the new ISO 20022 XML-standard.
It allows for easy conversion between Telepay and ISO 20022 without the need to upgrade existing payment systems, ensuring a smooth and straightforward switch for businesses.
Beyond converting from Telepay to ISO 20022, Aritma Pay also offers standardized bank integration and automated accounting by streamlining manual payment processing routines.
Telepay is a standard file format for remittance (transfer of payment information) between, for example, accounting systems and banks. The file format is a Norwegian standard that can be used for both domestic and international payments.
Developed in the late 1980s, Telepay has historically been Norway’s most widespread payment format. With the adoption of ISO 20022 as the new standard, the management of Telepay by banks and Bits has ceased, leading to its discontinuation on various dates by different banks.
Norwegian banks have set an end-date for Telepay:
DNB: March 31, 2024
SEB: June 1, 2024
Nordea: June 30, 2024
Sparebank 1: October 1, 2024
Many large companies still use Telepay, especially those with on-premise ERP systems or specialized systems supporting payment processing. These systems can be challenging to maintain and upgrade.
If you don't yet have a plan for transitioning to ISO20022, time is of the essence.
Direct Remittance (also known as Direkte Remittering) is a legacy payment service from Mastercard Payment Services (formerly Nets). It allowed companies to send bulk payments — like salaries and supplier invoices — directly to the bank using BBS or ISO 20022 files.
There are several reasons:
ISO 20022 XML is an international standard for electronic data interchange between financial institutions. It is much more flexible and detailed than older standards like Bankgiro and Telepay.
It also allows for a more comprehensive description of payment transactions, which improves data quality and provides better opportunities for automation and analysis.
ISO 20022 XML supports a wider range of transaction types and can be adapted to various needs across global markets.
If you send payments through Mastercard (Nets), or if your ERP uses the BBS format under the hood, you're likely affected. Many companies don’t realise they’re using Direct Remittance indirectly — so check with your system provider or IT team.
You have two main paths:
Not necessarily. Some ERP systems will upgrade to support ISO 20022, but others may not — or may do it late. And even if your ERP adds support, you’ll still need to configure, test, and connect it to the bank(s). That takes time and planning.
High. If you miss the migration deadline:
ISO 20022 XML provides improved data quality, more detailed transaction information, better opportunities for automation and analysis, and increased efficiency in payment processes.
Super simple:
The BBS format is a legacy payment file format developed by Bankenes Betalingssentral (BBS) in Norway. It has been used since the 1980s to send payment instructions — such as payroll or supplier invoices — from businesses to banks.
It’s a text-based format and requires manual file handling. It does not support rich payment data like currency codes, international payments, or structured references.
👉 The BBS format is now being phased out in favour of ISO 20022 XML, a modern, standardised format used across Europe.
A payment file format is a structured file that contains instructions for executing payments — such as salary, invoices, or refunds.
It tells the bank:
The format must be compatible with both your ERP/accounting system and your bank.
Common examples include:
We’ve helped thousands of companies move from legacy systems to modern bank integrations - and we’re happy to help you too.
