electronic banking Internet communication standard (e-business) (EBICS)

Electronic Banking Internet Communication Standard (EBICS) is a communication standard for online banking introduced on January 1, 2008, which must be supported by banks. EBICS is an open standard specified by the Zentraler Kreditausschuss(ZKA) and specifies the Internet as the communication network.

The online banking standard uses Extensible Markup Language(XML) and HTTPS to transmit secured transactions with authentication and encryption over the Internet. A cryptographic signature, the A004 key, is used to authorize transactions. EBICS knows a multi- level signature concept, with which geographically and organizationally distributed authorizations for a transaction can be obtained. Such a multiple signature is referred to as a distributed electronic signature (VEU) For example, the accounting department can complete a payment order and have it signed by an authorized representative.