83 lines
8.7 KiB
Markdown
83 lines
8.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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type: event
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slug: sepa-webinar-2026
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lang: en
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source_folder: projects
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title: 'SEPA Payments: Practical Aspects and Challenges for Citizens'
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subtitle: An online session with the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia helped students and parents understand what SEPA means for everyday euro payments between North Macedonia, Slovenia, and the wider European area.
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date: '2026-05-11'
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date_line: Published on May 11, 2026
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hero:
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src: /images/event-placeholder.svg
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alt: MSOS webinar on SEPA payments organised with the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia.
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width: '1600'
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height: '1067'
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body_format: html
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---
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<div class="article-body">
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<p>For students and families living between North Macedonia and Slovenia, sending euros across borders is not an abstract financial topic. It can mean paying rent, receiving support from home, or understanding why one international payment costs more than another.</p>
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<p>On 11 May 2026, MSOS joined the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia for an online webinar focused specifically on the practical side of SEPA.</p>
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<h2 id="made-possible-with">Made possible with</h2>
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<p>The webinar was organised jointly by two partners. The <strong>National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia</strong> served as co-organiser and expert partner, while <strong>MSOS</strong> acted as co-organiser and provided student community outreach.</p>
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<figure class="article-inline-image">
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<img alt="Photo placeholder: SEPA euro payment between North Macedonia and Slovenia." decoding="async" height="1067" loading="lazy" src="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" width="1600"/>
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<figcaption>Photo placeholder: SEPA makes cross-border euro payments more standardised across participating countries.</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<h2 id="why-sepa-mattered">Why SEPA mattered to our community</h2>
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<p>For students and families living between North Macedonia and Slovenia, sending euros across borders is not an abstract financial topic. It can mean paying rent, receiving support from home, transferring money between accounts, covering university-related costs, or simply understanding why one international payment costs more than another.</p>
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<p>That is why MSOS joined the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia to organise a public webinar focused specifically on the practical side of SEPA.</p>
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<p>North Macedonia became part of the geographical scope of the Single Euro Payments Area in March 2025, and Macedonian banks began joining the SEPA payment schemes later that year. This opened the way for faster, more standardised, and more cost-efficient euro transfers between North Macedonia and other SEPA countries, including Slovenia.</p>
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<p>The aim of the webinar was to translate that institutional change into information people could actually use.</p>
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<h2 id="everyday-payments">From the system to everyday payments</h2>
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<p>The main presentation was delivered by <strong>Anita Hegjkezi</strong>, Head of Section in the Payment Systems Directorate, and <strong>Miki Velichkovik</strong>, analyst at the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia.</p>
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<p>Rather than focusing only on financial terminology, the session explained SEPA through the questions most relevant to citizens. Participants learned what joining the SEPA area changes, how euro transfers are processed, what users should expect from their banks, and which practical benefits may appear when sending or receiving money across borders.</p>
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<p>For students in Slovenia, the topic was particularly relevant because many regularly interact with bank accounts in both countries. Understanding the system helps people compare transfer options, recognise the information their bank may request, and make more informed decisions when moving money between North Macedonia and Slovenia.</p>
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<figure class="article-inline-image">
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<img alt="Photo placeholder: National Bank experts presenting practical information about SEPA payments during the MSOS webinar." decoding="async" height="1067" loading="lazy" src="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" width="1600"/>
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<figcaption>Photo placeholder: experts from the National Bank explained how SEPA works from the perspective of everyday users.</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<h2 id="questions">Questions from students and parents</h2>
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<p>The webinar concluded with an open question-and-answer session.</p>
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<p>The 20 participants, including students and parents, were able to ask about the practical situations that matter to them directly. This was an important part of the format because changes in payment systems often become clearer only when they are connected to a real transfer, a bank account, or a specific problem someone has already encountered.</p>
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<p>The session gave participants an opportunity to receive explanations directly from specialists working with payment systems at the National Bank, rather than relying only on fragmented information from banks, social media, or informal conversations.</p>
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<h2 id="why-collaboration">Bringing expert information closer to students</h2>
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<p>The webinar reflected one of the ways MSOS can support students beyond social and community activities.</p>
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<p>When a change directly affects everyday student life, the organisation can help connect the community with the institution that has the expertise to explain it. In this case, cooperation with the National Bank created a direct channel between students, families, and specialists working on the payment system itself.</p>
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<p>For MSOS, the value of the event was not simply explaining what the abbreviation SEPA means. It was helping students understand how a major financial change can affect the practical reality of living between two countries.</p>
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<h2 id="in-numbers">In numbers</h2>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>20</strong> participants</li>
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<li><strong>2</strong> co-organising institutions</li>
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<li><strong>2</strong> National Bank expert speakers</li>
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<li><strong>1</strong> online session on practical SEPA payments</li>
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</ul>
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</div>
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<section class="event-gallery">
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<h2 class="event-gallery-title">Photos from the event</h2>
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<div class="event-gallery-grid js-lightbox">
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<button class="eg-thumb" data-caption="Official webinar poster for the SEPA payments session" data-full="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" type="button"><img alt="Photo placeholder: official webinar poster" decoding="async" height="1067" loading="lazy" src="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" width="1600"/></button>
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<button class="eg-thumb" data-caption="Screenshot of the National Bank speakers during the presentation" data-full="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" type="button"><img alt="Photo placeholder: screenshot of the speakers" decoding="async" height="1067" loading="lazy" src="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" width="1600"/></button>
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<button class="eg-thumb" data-caption="Presentation slide explaining a key SEPA concept" data-full="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" type="button"><img alt="Photo placeholder: presentation slide on SEPA" decoding="async" height="1067" loading="lazy" src="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" width="1600"/></button>
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<button class="eg-thumb" data-caption="Screenshot from the question-and-answer session" data-full="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" type="button"><img alt="Photo placeholder: question-and-answer session" decoding="async" height="1067" loading="lazy" src="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" width="1600"/></button>
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<button class="eg-thumb" data-caption="Closing screenshot of the webinar" data-full="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" type="button"><img alt="Photo placeholder: closing screenshot of the webinar" decoding="async" height="1067" loading="lazy" src="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" width="1600"/><span class="eg-more">+1</span></button>
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<button class="eg-thumb is-hidden" data-caption="Simple infographic about payments between North Macedonia and Slovenia" data-full="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" type="button"><img alt="Photo placeholder: infographic about payments between North Macedonia and Slovenia" decoding="async" height="1067" loading="lazy" src="../../../images/event-placeholder.svg" width="1600"/></button>
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</div>
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</section>
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<div class="author-text">
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<p class="author-name">MSOS Team</p>
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<p class="author-title">Macedonian Student Organisation in Slovenia</p>
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</div>
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