A significant payment system disruption has affected credit and debit card transactions across Germany. The issue, which began early in the morning, September 12, has since been partially resolved for some retailers.
Scope and nature of the problem
The Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe (Savings Banks Finance Group) confirmed to t-online that the problems are affecting debit, credit, and giro cards nationwide. A spokesperson stated that in some cases, giro card payments might still be possible through direct debit. “Bank and savings bank ATMs are not affected by this,” the spokesperson added.
The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) acknowledged the disruption, stating, “The BSI is aware that various financial institutions are currently experiencing disruptions in card payment transactions. The BSI is in exchange with those affected and the responsible authorities.”
According to the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe spokesperson, the root cause of the disruption lies with an IT service provider and its associated vendors. “We are currently analyzing the facts and the nature and extent of the disruption across the board with payment system operators and providers,” they explained. The parties involved are working intensively to resolve the issue.
A cyberattack has been ruled out based on current information. The affected IT service provider was identified as First Data, a company belonging to the US-based Fiserv group. A company spokesperson confirmed that there is currently a technical problem with some processing services, stating, “We are working hard to solve the problem and will inform our customers as soon as possible.”
Impact on retailers
T-online reached out to several retailers to assess the impact of the disruption:
- Aldi Nord reported experiencing problems, which were resolved by 2:15 PM.
- An Edeka employee informed t-online that they were facing significant issues, with customers only able to pay in cash.
- Rewe, Penny, and dm reported no current problems. A dm spokesperson stated, “We currently see no abnormalities in the transaction processing of card payments at dm. We have also not received any customer inquiries in this regard.” They attributed this to “a problem with an IT service provider with whom we are currently not working at dm.” Rewe specified that the problems were with the service provider Nexi.
Rossmann and other retailers contacted were unable or unwilling to provide definitive information at the time of reporting.
As the situation continues to evolve, consumers are advised to carry alternative payment methods when shopping, and retailers are working to accommodate various payment options where possible.
