​Strong Customer Authentication, part of PSD2, has been gradually rolling out across the Nordic region since the end of 2020, with the final countries

At Nets we have been working with all our customers and partners across the payments ecosystem since 2019 to help to ensure a smooth transition to SCA for online payments. This has meant changes to all our payments systems to support SCA requirements, as well as trying to ensure that the impact to everyday commerce is as minimal as possible.

SCA and online payments

The EU requirement for SCA is designed to make card purchases safer and means that customers now need to provide two forms of identification, known as 'two-factor authentication', before they can checkout online. For card payments that means using 3D Secure Authentication (3DS) for Visa and Mastercard payments, or the equivalent for other credit and debit cards brands.

Helping our customers

We have been regularly communicating with and supporting our customers to get ready for the change – working directly with them to plan for the changes, ensuring that they have 3DS activated, and providing information by email, articles, web content, social media, PR and through webinars. The vast majority of our customers have been ready for SCA, but some have been affected by issues largely outside Nets' control and have seen their online card payments rejected by card issuers.

We have produced lots of information online to help. A good place to start is hints and tips on how to have smoother transactions with SCA, or SCA FAQs and how to contact us for help. There is also an overview of SCA.

With such a major change across a whole industry inevitably there have been some challenges affecting our customers, as banks and PSPs adjusted to the changes. We understand how difficult and frustrating that can be and how its impacts on customers' businesses, and we are working around the clock to help. We are monitoring what is happening across the payments ecosystem as bugs can appear at any point, and working with the banks and other PSPs to ensure that issues, wherever they arise, are resolved as quickly as possible. We have in place SCA specific systems, processes and trained teams to ensure that we are able to sort out problems for our customers as quickly as possible.

NemID authentication in Denmark

The Danish banks have taken the decision to remove the NemID card so that the NemID service can meet the SCA requirements. The NemID card cannot be used for online shopping after 28 December 2020 and NemID customers need to change to using the existing NemID app, or personal code and text message. Find out more here and on our SCA Support pages.