Irish Payment Services Organisation
The Irish Payment Services Organisation Limited (IPSO) was established in June 1997. IPSO was the representative body for payments in Ireland until its integration with the Irish Banking Federation (IBF) in 2014, forming the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI). Its primary objective was to preserve the integrity and security of its payment systems. It also had the responsibility for modernising the payments industry in Ireland.
IPSO provided central programme management for key industry initiatives such as fraud prevention, the National Payments Implementation Programme (with the Department of Finance), SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) and Chip and PIN implementation. IPSO also monitored and promoted payments industry interoperability and standards development. It facilitated innovation and assisted in the design of payment systems development.
There were two clearing companies and two payment schemes operating under the IPSO umbrella. Each company had its own board of directors. IPSO was a company limited by guarantee and did not have a share capital.