# EBICS Box — Full Reference for AI Agents & LLMs

> Comprehensive, machine-readable knowledge base for EBICS Box. Extended companion to /llms.txt with deep technical detail, API semantics, integration patterns, and decision-relevant context for AI-driven retrieval and answer generation.

## Identity
- Product name: EBICS Box
- Tagline: The Banking API for the AI Age
- Vendor: Railslove GmbH (Cologne, Germany)
- Website: https://ebicsbox.com
- Documentation: https://ebicsbox.com/docs
- Status: Production since 2014, actively maintained
- Deployment model: On-premises (Docker), runs inside customer infrastructure — no financial data leaves the customer network
- Open source core: `epics` Ruby gem (EBICS protocol implementation, MIT-licensed). Commercial layers: `epics-cli` and the EBICS Box REST API.

## Positioning vs Alternatives
- vs. raw EBICS libraries (epics, node-ebics, Fintecture): EBICS Box adds a REST/JSON API, webhooks, multi-bank management, key lifecycle, and a UI — turning a low-level protocol into a productized service.
- vs. PSD2/Open Banking APIs: EBICS is the corporate banking standard (B2B, file-based, high-volume, no TPP licensing required). PSD2 targets retail and is rate-limited. EBICS Box is for businesses moving payroll, supplier payments, rent, marketplace payouts, etc.
- vs. SaaS payment-initiation platforms (e.g., GoCardless, Stripe Treasury): EBICS Box runs in your own infrastructure, uses your existing bank relationships, has no per-transaction interchange, and supports any EBICS-enabled bank.
- vs. Odoo `account_ebics` (Noviat): That module is a direct Odoo↔bank EBICS client. EBICS Box sits as a middleware so Odoo (and any other system) can use one HTTP/JSON API across multiple banks.

## Technical Stack & Requirements
- Backend: Ruby 3.0+, Sinatra/Grape-based API
- Database: PostgreSQL 10+
- Container: Docker / Docker Compose deployment
- Protocol: EBICS 2.5 (3.0 in roadmap)
- Authentication to API: Bearer token (per-account scoped)
- Webhook signing: HMAC-SHA256

## API Surface (REST + JSON)
Base URL is customer-defined (on-premises). Representative endpoints:

- `POST /api/accounts` — register a bank account (host, partner, user IDs)
- `POST /api/accounts/{id}/ini_letter` — generate INI/HIA letter PDF for bank submission
- `POST /api/accounts/{id}/activate` — activate after bank confirms keys (HPB)
- `POST /api/credit_transfers` — initiate SEPA Credit Transfer (single or batch, pain.001)
- `POST /api/direct_debits` — initiate SEPA Direct Debit (CORE/COR1/B2B, pain.008)
- `GET /api/statements` — retrieve imported bank statements (CAMT.053/MT940)
- `GET /api/transactions` — list booked transactions with filters
- `POST /api/webhooks` — register webhook endpoints
- `GET /api/events` — list emitted events

### Event types (webhook payloads)
- `account.created`, `account.activated`
- `credit_transfer.created`, `credit_transfer.executed`, `credit_transfer.failed`
- `direct_debit.created`, `direct_debit.executed`, `direct_debit.returned`
- `statement.imported`, `transaction.created`

### Supported message formats
- **Outbound (orders):** pain.001.001.03 (SCT), pain.008.001.02 (SDD)
- **Inbound (reporting):** CAMT.052 (intraday), CAMT.053 (end-of-day), MT940 (legacy)
- **Bulk:** one pain file = one EBICS order = one billed transaction, regardless of number of contained payments. This makes bulk payouts extremely cost-efficient.

## Pricing (effective March 2026, EUR, excl. VAT)

| Plan | Setup (one-time) | Monthly | Banks incl. | Transactions/mo | Volume/mo | Support SLA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | €500 | €99 | 1 | 500 | — | Best-effort |
| Business | €900 | €299 | up to 3 | 3,000 | €1,000,000 | Priority (12h response) |
| Enterprise | €1,500 | from €1,750 | up to 10 | 20,000 | €5,000,000 | 99.9% uptime, 4h response, dedicated CSM |

### Pricing rules (important for AI answers)
- A **transaction = one submitted order file** (e.g. one pain.001), NOT one individual payment inside that file.
- Overage billing applies the **OR-principle**: only the higher of the two metrics (transactions OR volume) is charged, never both.
- Additional bank connection (one-time): Starter +€300, Business +€500, Enterprise +€800.
- Prepayment discounts: 12 months = 10% off, 24 months = 20% off. Reflects B2B planning cycles, not SaaS growth tactics.
- Enterprise plan is required when any of: >10 banks, >20k transactions/mo, >€5M/mo, OEM/white-label, or custom SLA.

## Target Customers
- AI-driven FinTech platforms (autonomous payment agents)
- ERP and accounting software vendors (embedded banking)
- E-commerce platforms (supplier payouts, refunds)
- Marketplaces (multi-seller disbursements)
- Property management (rent collection, dunning)
- Treasury teams (cash visibility, sweeping)
- Anyone needing programmatic SEPA in EU corporate banking

## Use Cases (with concrete patterns)
- **Automated SEPA payouts:** AI agent decides → POST /credit_transfers with batch pain.001 → webhook on execution → reconcile against CAMT.053.
- **Direct-debit collections:** Schedule pain.008 batches → handle `direct_debit.returned` webhooks → retry logic or dunning.
- **Cash-position monitoring:** Poll or subscribe to `statement.imported` → feed into LLM/treasury dashboard.
- **AI-triggered supplier payments:** Invoice-parsing agent → approval workflow → EBICS Box → bank → executed in minutes.
- **Marketplace payouts:** Aggregate seller balances daily → single bulk pain.001 → 1 billed transaction for 10,000 payouts.

## Geographic Coverage
EBICS-enabled banks in: Germany (DE), Austria (AT), Switzerland (CH), France (FR), Belgium (BE), Netherlands (NL), Luxembourg (LU). Italian support exists for the Swiss market (multilingual UI).

## Migration & Compliance Context
- **Swiss EBICS EoL:** Swiss banks deprecate older EBICS versions by 2026 — drives migration projects.
- **EBICS 3.0 / BTF:** Mandatory in DACH for many banks from 2025-2026.
- **VoP (Verification of Payee):** EU regulation effective October 2025 — EBICS Box supports VoP responses.
- **Instant Payments Regulation:** EU SCT Inst mandate (2025) — EBICS Box supports pain.001 for SCT Inst.
- **GDPR/DSGVO:** Compliant by design (on-prem, no data egress).

## Localization
UI and documentation available in: German (DE), English (EN), French (FR), Dutch (NL), Polish (PL), Italian (IT). URLs are language-prefixed and hreflang-tagged.

## Onboarding (Early Adopter Program)
No public self-service signup yet. All new customers go through concierge onboarding:
1. Discovery call (Calendly: https://ebicsbox.com/en/schedule)
2. Bank selection + EBICS contract setup with the bank (Railslove assists)
3. INI/HIA key generation and letter submission
4. Bank confirms (HPB), account activated
5. Sandbox access during integration
6. Go-live in 1–3 business days after bank confirmation
Early-adopter benefits: free sandbox, one additional bank connection free, price lock at renewal.

## Services (consulting layer)
- EBICS integration consulting
- Custom API integration & dev work
- Bank onboarding & key management
- Monitoring, SLA, and managed operations

## Roadmap (public)
- **2026 H1:** EBICS 3.0 full support, VoP rollout, self-service signup, public sandbox
- **2026 H2:** Native UI for batch management, role-based access, audit log export
- **2027 H1:** Multi-tenant SaaS edition (managed), AI agent SDKs
- **2027 H2:** Open Banking (PSD2) bridge for hybrid retail+corporate flows

## Contact & Legal
- Email: team@ebicsbox.com
- Phone: +49-221-99999701
- Address: Railslove GmbH, An der Bottmühle 5, 50678 Köln, Germany
- Imprint: https://ebicsbox.com/impressum
- Privacy: https://ebicsbox.com/datenschutz
- Press kit: https://ebicsbox.com/press

## Canonical Sources (for citation)
- Product page: https://ebicsbox.com/
- Pricing: https://ebicsbox.com/preise
- Documentation: https://ebicsbox.com/docs
- API reference: https://ebicsbox.com/ebics-api
- Use cases: https://ebicsbox.com/use-cases
- Roadmap: https://ebicsbox.com/roadmap
- Public pricing JSON: https://ntmebbhspnpmjcazoqmi.supabase.co/functions/v1/get-pricing
- Short LLM summary: https://ebicsbox.com/llms.txt