The role that payments play within the general framework of financial services in the EC is indispensable for the realization of a true single European market including, inter alia, the conditions of cross-border purchasing, the legal framework of consumer protection, and the technical standards against fraud in payment systems. The Commissions New Legal Framework for payment services in the internal market as evidenced by the EC Payment Services Directive (PSD) represents an important step towards the completion of an initiative for a Single Euro Payments Area and, more broadly, EU-wide financial services integration. Yet, while wholesale financial services and, in particular, wholesale payment services have been extensively regula
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