💡 Preliminary reminder
EBICS (Electronic Banking Internet Communication Standard) is the banking protocol used in France and Germany to exchange files between a company and its bank: account statements, transfers, direct debits, foreign exchange transactions. There are two variants: EBICS T, which transports orders without signing them, and EBICS TS, which adds a legally binding electronic signature to the transmitted files.
This article explains how EBICS TS differs from EBICS T, when it is useful, and how Okimia implements it to allow you to issue and sign your payments from the application.
EBICS T AND EBICS TS: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
Both protocols transport the same bank order files (in SEPA XML format). The difference lies solely in the electronic signature required by the bank to authorize the execution of the order.
EBICS T ("Transport"): the order is transmitted to the bank, but the signature is applied separately, generally via the bank's web portal, by an authorized person. The file passes through Okimia, but the validation takes place outside of Okimia.
EBICS TS ("Transport & Signature"): the electronic signature is applied directly within Okimia, before transmission to the bank. The order reaches the bank already signed and can be executed without any additional step on the banking portal.
In practice, EBICS TS eliminates a round trip: you prepare the payment, sign it, and send it to the bank without leaving Okimia.
WHY USE EBICS TS?
EBICS TS addresses three concrete needs of finance departments.
Centralizing payment management and execution in a single tool. Without EBICS TS, your teams must switch between Okimia (for preparation and monitoring) and banking portals (one per bank, for signing). With EBICS TS, the complete cycle — preparation, validation, signing, transmission — takes place within Okimia.
Securing the validation chain. The electronic signature applied in Okimia relies on a personal, nominative device. Each order bears the signature of its issuer, creating a complete audit trail. The dual-validation workflow (prepared by one person, signed by another) is built into the Okimia workflow.
Saving time on recurring payments. For companies that issue dozens or hundreds of transfers daily (payroll, suppliers, reimbursements), eliminating the "log in to the banking portal to sign" step represents a significant time saving.
SIGNING A PAYMENT IN OKIMIA
Once a payment has been prepared (from an invoice, from the "Make a transfer" screen, or from an XML file uploaded to Okimia — see next section), it appears in the "To validate" tab of your payments module.
To validate an order, click on it and confirm the payment. Okimia then displays a summary (amount, beneficiary, IBAN, file fingerprint) and asks for your 3SKEY PIN to sign.
Once signed, orders move to the "In progress" tab while awaiting processing by the bank, with the signatory's name visible in the "Validated by" column.
UPLOADING AN XML FILE FOR BATCH SIGNING
For companies that generate their payments from payroll software or an ERP, Okimia accepts SEPA XML file uploads, either manually from the application or automatically via FTP. The uploaded file appears in the "To validate" tab with the label "XML - File name" as the source.
Once signed via EBICS TS, the entire batch is transmitted to the bank as a single order. This avoids having to re-enter transfers in Okimia and preserves end-to-end traceability (payroll software → Okimia → bank).
HOW OKIMIA MANAGES THE ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE
Okimia relies on 3SKey, the electronic signature solution issued by SWIFT and recognized by all EBICS TS-compatible banks in Europe.
3SKey is a personal, nominative, and portable certificate, issued by your bank on a USB token or in software form. It uniquely identifies the signatory and guarantees the integrity of the signed file. Okimia is a SWIFT software partner, meaning that 3SKey signing is natively integrated into the payment validation process within the application — with no intermediate software to install.
Each signature generates an audit log retained by Okimia as proof of your payment order.
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IF YOUR 3SKEY IS MISSING OR EXPIRED
If you attempt to sign a payment without a 3SKEY registered in Okimia, or if your key has expired, a message will appear indicating that a pre-registered key is required to perform this action.
👉 What to do?
If your 3SKEY has not yet been registered in Okimia, contact [email protected] to register it.
If your key has expired, contact your bank for renewal, then send the new certificate to our technical support team for updating.
WHAT ARE THE BANK-SIDE PREREQUISITES?
To use EBICS TS in Okimia, your bank must:
Offer the EBICS TS protocol on the relevant account (most major French banks offer it, but activation is not always automatic);
Have activated the EBICS TS contract for your company and declared the users authorized to sign;
Recognize the 3SKey certificate of the signatory or signatories (enrolling the certificate with the bank is a separate process from the Okimia subscription).
These steps are part of your relationship with your bank. Once the EBICS TS contract is active and the 3SKey certificates are enrolled, activation on the Okimia side takes only a few minutes.
Now that you know what EBICS TS is and why to use it, find out soon how to activate it in Okimia!