The Central Bank published yesterday, 05.11.2020, BCB Normative Instruction 41, establishing the schedule of homologatory integration tests that must be observed by financial institutions, accrediting and subcrediting institutions and registration entities to carry out the operations and activities addressed in Resolution No. 4,734 and Circular No. 3,952, both of June 27, 2019.
Bilateral approval tests are the tests established by a registry entity to approve the integration with its participants. Interoperability tests, in turn, are the functional and load tests performed between registration systems to ensure the proper functioning of the interoperability environment defined in the convention of the registry entities. Finally, integration tests are the mandatory set of tests established jointly by the registry entities.
Pursuant to the normative rule, registration entities must disclose to participants with whom they have contractual relationship, including sub-registrars:
- By 20 November 2020: the joint report on the outcome of the interoperability tests; and the homologation integration test plan, after approval by the Central Bank;
- By 18 January 2020: the results obtained by such participants in the homologation integration tests; and
- by 5 February 2021: the procedures for putting its systems into production, including, inter alia, configurations of the production environment, data taking over and deployment of the new systems and related activities.
Also, the accrediting institutions shall submit to the Central Bank the following information:
- By 9 November 2020: identification of the director responsible for conducting the type approval integration tests; and
- By January 18, 2021: a) updated business continuity plan, including the treatment to be given in case of unavailability of the registry entity for more than one day; and b) declaration of readiness to perform activities, signed by the designated officer in charge, if it has successfully passed all the stages set forth in the homologation integration test plan.
The accrediting institutions participating in the compulsory integration homologation tests that do not successfully perform all the tests foreseen until January 18, 2021, shall communicate to their clients, including subaccreditation agencies to which they provide services, as well as to the institutions of the payment arrangements in which they participate or with which they interoperate, within two business days after that date, the temporary suspension of performing their accreditation activities in the payment arrangements whose receivables are subject to registration, from February 17, 2021, until the satisfactory conclusion of the new cycle.
The accrediting institutions participating in the mandatory integration homologation tests that successfully perform all the tests scheduled until January 18, 2021, shall notify the subaccrediting institutions for which they provide services and that do not successfully perform all the mandatory integration homologation tests also scheduled until January 18, 2021, of the temporary suspension of the provision of such services as of February 17, 2021.
The financial institutions, accrediting and sub-accrediting institutions, and registration entities that have their activities suspended as of February 17, 2021, pursuant to this Normative Instruction, shall carry out a new cycle of homologation tests, whose rules shall be disclosed in due course by the Central Bank of Brazil.
For further information, the Payment team is at your disposal.
