Good evening. Here is theWednesday, February 14 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
More banks to offer instant payment
Illustrative image. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
The European Parliament has approved regulation on instant payments, meaning money transfers will now occur in 10 seconds or less. The new rules will enter into force 20 days after they are published in the Official Journal of the EU.
Following this, all Eurozone banks will have 9 months to be ready to receive instant payments and 18 months to be ready to send them. Any fees for the service cannot be higher than fees applied to regular transactions, which are usually made by the following day.
In Slovakia, the banks already offering the service are: Slovenská Sporiteľňa, VÚB Banka, Tatra Banka, J&T Banka, Raiffeisen and Oberbank.
Other banks will have to introduce it within the time frame specified under the approved regulation.
According to public broadcaster RTVS and SITA newswire, they are already working on it. ČSOB has said it will roll out the service during this and next year, in compliance with deadlines and specifications. UniCredit Bank said it is working on the project, but gave no other details; Fio Banka will introduce the service during the year; 365.bank has also promised to comply with legislative requirements.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
POLITICS: He threatened to kill prosecutor, attempted to discredit judge. Fico wants him as secret service chief.
BUSINESS: Agency downgrades Slovakia's rating after changes to Criminal Code.
TRAVEL: An inconspicuous Slovak town exhibits cars that belonged to the mafia.
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FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
Are you looking for a villa, exhibition hall?
The most expensive publicly offered buildings in Bratislava whose owner can be identified. (source: Index/Google Earth)
When selling a large and therefore expensive property, a real estate broker is usually employed to quietly approach potential buyers. The general public may not even get wind of it at all.
Index magazine selected 10 of the most expensive properties in Bratislava. The following list contains those whose owner could be identified.
EVENT FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
Chamber music festival returns
Actor Robert Roth opened this year's edition of the Konvergencie festival by reading Mozart's letters. (source: TASR)
This year, the international chamber music festival Konvergencie is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Perceived as a diverse event that provides space for meetings of both domestic and foreign artists and audiences, the current edition is dedicated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The festival takes place between February 13-25. For more information on tickets, concerts and accompanying programme, click here.
IN OTHER NEWS
The Slovensko movement (formerly OĽaNO) chaired by Igor Matovič has lost six members. In their joint statement, the former members cite political isolation, the ill-considered actions of the movement's leadership, an absence of critical thinking and unwillingness to discuss unpleasant issues in the movement, among other things. Igor Matovič's presidential candidacy was their 'final straw', they said. Slovensko said in response that its anti-corruption rules did not meet former members' demands. (TASR)
In a fast-track proceeding, parliament approved a delay in new construction legislation coming into effect to April 1, 2025. Originally, it was supposed to come into effect on April 1 this year. However, only a section regarding spatial planning will come into effect on the latter date. (TASR)
In connection to Tuesday's threats at the Faculty of Management and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Comenius University in Bratislava, the police have charged a 22-year-old woman for spreading a false alarm. According to the police, the faculty staff and a police officer on duty were told that there was an imminent threat to the people at the faculty. Allegedly, the information was provided to the person who reported it by an unknown man who had been expelled from the faculty. (TASR)
On Wednesday, President Zuzana Čaputová received the amendment to the Penal Code approved by parliament last week. She will announce her decision on whether to sign it into law by the end of the week. She had said before that she will do what she can to stop it from coming into effect. (TASR)
Gorges in the Slovak Paradise national park are once again open, with the exception of the Kyseľ via ferrata that is closed in winter. However, the Slovak Paradise National Park Administration warns that the water level is still high and there are many fallen trees. The park was closed several days ago because of high water levels of streams in the park. (TASR)
The first snowdrops have bloomed in the forests in Bratislava's Petržalka borough. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Cloud cover will change throughout the day, with sun appearing from time to time. Occasional light showers. Daily temperatures between 6 °C and 13 °C. (SHMÚ)
FEBRUARY 15 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Pravoslav.
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