--- title: "Money Transfer Software for German PIs | BaFin, ZAG" description: "Platform for payment institutions in Germany: money remittance, payouts, SEPA Instant, SWIFT, FX price lists and documents for your BaFin ZAG application." url: "https://crassula.io/solutions/money-transfer/germany-payment-institution/" lang: "en" image: "https://crassula.io/static/images/og/crassula-default.d7d01fb8a962.jpg" alternates: "en": "https://crassula.io/solutions/money-transfer/germany-payment-institution/" "de": "https://crassula.io/de/solutions/money-transfer/germany-payment-institution/" "es": "https://crassula.io/es/solutions/money-transfer/germany-payment-institution/" "fr": "https://crassula.io/fr/solutions/money-transfer/germany-payment-institution/" "x-default": "https://crassula.io/solutions/money-transfer/germany-payment-institution/" index: "https://crassula.io/llms.txt" --- Germany · Zahlungsinstitut (PI) # Money transfer software for payment institutions in Germany In a transfer, customer money often sits with you for only a few hours, and section 17 ZAG governs exactly those hours. Run corridors, exchange rates and payouts on a platform that traces every euro from the sender to the recipient's account. [Request demo](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) [Money Transfer →](https://crassula.io/solutions/money-transfer/) Your market**Germany**Zahlungsinstitut (PI) - Remittances and platform payouts - SEPA, SEPA Instant and SWIFT - FX margins per corridor - Funds in transit visible per order Rails your customers can use **SEPA Credit Transfer****SEPA Instant****SWIFT****Batch payouts****Internal transfers** What the regulator asks about your IT**7** Case Studies ## See what teams build with Crassula. ![Paysend](https://crassula.io/static/images/solutions/cases/logo-paysend.1177d744fb9a.png) - SEPA Credit - SEPA Instant - SEPA Direct Debit Live on Crassula ### [SEPA connectivity for a global payments business.](https://crassula.io/cases/paysend/) A technical connector for SEPA Credit, SEPA Instant and SEPA Direct Debit, with back-office and ledger capabilities. [Read case study: Paysend](https://crassula.io/cases/paysend/) ![Multipass](https://crassula.io/static/images/solutions/cases/logo-multipass.7fb14a8eede7.png) - Multi-currency accounts - Cross-border payments - BaaS connections Live on Crassula ### [Custom financial products for global businesses.](https://crassula.io/cases/multipass/) Global business accounts, multi-currency payments and cross-border solutions, supported by Crassula APIs and BaaS connections. [Read case study: Multipass](https://crassula.io/cases/multipass/) Money Transfer · Zahlungsinstitut (PI) ## What a German payment institution runs on the platform ### Remittances for consumers Customers send money to relatives abroad and see the fee, the rate and the amount that arrives before they confirm. Repeat payments go to saved recipients. ### Payouts for platforms and employers Upload payout files or send them by API, with an approval step before release. Each line is booked on its own, so a returned payment goes back to the right person. ### Payment accounts for regular senders Accounts with IBANs for senders and business clients who pay often. Balances exist only to execute payments, never as stored value. ### Conversion inside the payment order Spreads and fees per corridor and client group in price lists you change without a release. The customer sees the rate before confirming. ### Review before release Limits by corridor and customer type. Orders above the threshold wait for review in the back office before the money leaves. ### What this licence does not cover - E-money or top-up balances. That requires a licence as an e-money institution. - Taking deposits or paying interest on balances. - Lending from customer funds. A payment institution may grant credit only in a narrow scope tied to its payment services. - Taking cash through agents before those agents have been notified to and registered by BaFin. Your market ## What the regulator asks about your IT Each requirement, what the platform gives you for it and who owns it after launch. 1 Description of the section 17 ZAG safeguarding measures in the application Funds in transit per order and per customer, timestamped on receipt, so you can show nothing stays unprotected past the next business day. Your finance team, on platform data 2 Payer and payee information on every transfer Name, account and address from onboarding attached to outgoing transfers, with checks on incoming data. Shared 3 Money laundering risk analysis for corridors and customer groups (GwG) Limits per corridor and customer type, onboarding questionnaires and transfer exports for your monitoring and sanctions screening tool. Your money laundering officer 4 Outsourcing arrangements (section 10(2) ZAG) and the DORA register of information Service description, subcontractors, audit and access rights and an exit plan for your outsourcing documents. You, with our input 5 Business continuity for payment operations Recovery set-up, backups and our incident process, so a stuck transfer can be found and either completed or refunded. Shared 6 Instant transfers with Verification of Payee SEPA Instant flows plus the name and IBAN data the check relies on. You, with your payments provider 7 Monthly returns to the Bundesbank (section 29 ZAG) Exports of transfers, volumes and open amounts as the data base. You prepare and file the return. You, on platform data Germany ## Payment rails and providers Rails your customers can use SEPA Credit Transfer SEPA Instant SWIFT Batch payouts Internal transfers **24/7**real-time processing, no batch window **60+**payment and provider integrations connected **150+**companies run on Crassula **15+**languages the platform speaks Germany ## Dates to plan around Rules that change what you have to build, in the order they apply. 1. **30 Dec 2024** The recast Transfer of Funds Regulation applies. Every transfer must carry complete payer and payee details, and you must check what comes in. 2. **9 Oct 2025** From this date euro area payment institutions, like banks, match the payee's name against the IBAN on every credit transfer before the payer releases it. 3. **9 Apr 2027** Euro area payment institutions that offer credit transfers must be able to send and receive them instantly. 4. **10 Jul 2027** The EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation applies, with new due diligence rules that also reach occasional transfers. 5. **Pending** PSD3 and the Payment Services Regulation are agreed but not yet in the Official Journal. Most rules apply about 21 months after entry into force, when existing PIs must have their authorisation confirmed. Zahlungsinstitut (PI) ## Applying to BaFin as a payment institution? Name us in your application. For a remittance business, BaFin wants to see how an order is controlled and safeguarded from the moment money arrives until it is paid out. We show that on a running platform and write the technical parts of the application with you. [Talk to us about your application](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) Crassula provides technology and documentation support. We do not provide legal or regulatory advice and cannot guarantee the outcome of an application. 1. 01 ### A platform you can demonstrate A configured environment to show the regulator, not slides. 2. 02 ### The technical part of your application, prepared Security strategy, payment flows, outsourcing, ICT risk under DORA and continuity sections of your BaFin application. 3. 03 ### Providers lined up Banking, safeguarding and KYC providers from our network, matched to your licence. ![A business traveller checking a phone before a journey.](https://crassula.io/static/images/features/people/global-1200.aed85c69e1b8.webp) Money Transfer ## How a launch usually runs A team in Frankfurt wants to help workers send money to families in South-Eastern Europe and Turkey and applies for a money remittance licence. In our environment it shows BaFin how an order is captured, checked against limits, converted and paid out, and where the money sits at each step. After authorisation, euro payments go out over SEPA Instant and other currencies over SWIFT through a connected provider. A delivery company joins as a business client and uploads weekly payouts to its riders, which a second person approves before they are sent. Background reading: our [BaFin ZAG licence guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/germany-bafin-zag/) and the overview of [payment institutions in the EU](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/payment-institution/). Guides ## Read the licence guides ![Germany BaFin ZAG License in 2026: PI and EMI Authorisation](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/germany-bafin-zag/berlin-gate-preview-960.087e0cb41d7a.jpg) ### [Germany BaFin ZAG License in 2026: PI and EMI Authorisation](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/germany-bafin-zag/) ![Payment Institution (PI) License in 2026: The Complete Guide](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/payment-institution/payment-arrow-preview-960.a0fe81e25515.jpg) ### [Payment Institution (PI) License in 2026: The Complete Guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/payment-institution/) ![The Money Transfer Industry in 2026: Models, Players and How to Launch](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/what-is-money-transfer/money-transfer-globe-preview-960.9c269560724b.jpg) ### [The Money Transfer Industry in 2026: Models, Players and How to Launch](https://crassula.io/solutions/money-transfer/guides/what-is-money-transfer/) ![How to Start a Money Transfer (Remittance) Business in 2026](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/how-to-start-a-money-transfer-business/remittance-bridge-preview-960.a2d7c0f3ecff.jpg) ### [How to Start a Money Transfer (Remittance) Business in 2026](https://crassula.io/solutions/money-transfer/guides/how-to-start-a-money-transfer-business/) [**Explore all guides**Licensing, payments, cards and core banking, explained by our team.](https://crassula.io/guides/) Germany · Zahlungsinstitut (PI) ## FAQ The questions teams ask us before a first call. [**Not covered here?**Bring your question to a demo with our team.](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) How much initial capital does a German PI need for remittances? EUR 20,000 for money remittance alone. Running payment accounts or executing transfers from them takes EUR 125,000. Our [BaFin ZAG guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/germany-bafin-zag/) lists the tiers. By when must received funds be safeguarded? If the money is still with you at the end of the business day after receipt, section 17 ZAG requires it to sit separately in an account at a credit institution or be covered by insurance or a guarantee. The platform shows which amounts are in transit and for how long. Can we work with agents in shops? Yes, many remittance services do. Agents must be notified to and registered by BaFin before they start, and you stay responsible for their anti-money laundering duties. Which countries can we send to? Euro payments run over SEPA, other currencies over SWIFT through a connected provider. Which corridors you open is your call, based on your money laundering risk analysis. Does the platform file our suspicious activity reports? No. It supplies transfer and customer data to your monitoring and screening tool. Assessing cases and reporting to the FIU stays with your money laundering officer. What does PSD3 change for German payment institutions? PSD3 merges payment and e-money institutions into one regime. Existing firms keep operating through the transition but must show BaFin they meet the new requirements. See our [PSD3 and PSR guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/psd3-psr/). Germany · Zahlungsinstitut (PI) ## What a German payment institution runs on the platform Tell us your licence and country. We will map the rails, providers and documents you need. [Request demo](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) [**Know what you pay**One setup fee and a monthly plan with accounts and transactions included.*See pricing →*](https://crassula.io/prices/) [**Start with the API**Documented endpoints for accounts, payments, cards and customers.*Explore the API →*](https://crassula.io/features/api/)