Article 1Subject matter
1.This Directive establishes the rules in accordance with which Member States shall distinguish between the following categories of payment service provider:
(a)credit institutions as defined in point (1) of Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1), including branches thereof within the meaning of point (17) Article 4(1) of that Regulation where such branches are located in the Union, whether the head offices of those branches are located within the Union or, in accordance with Article 47 of Directive 2013/36/EU and with national law, outside the Union;
(b)electronic money institutions within the meaning of point (1) of Article 2 of Directive 2009/110/EC, including, in accordance with Article 8 of that Directive and with national law, branches thereof, where such branches are located within the Union and their head offices are located outside the Union, in as far as the payment services provided by those branches are linked to the issuance of electronic money;
(c)post office giro institutions which are entitled under national law to provide payment services;
(d)payment institutions;
(e)the ECB and national central banks when not acting in their capacity as monetary authority or other public authorities;
(f)Member States or their regional or local authorities when not acting in their capacity as public authorities.
2.This Directive also establishes rules concerning:
(a)the transparency of conditions and information requirements for payment services; and
(b)the respective rights and obligations of payment service users and payment service providers in relation to the provision of payment services as a regular occupation or business activity.
Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 1).