What is the PeSIT Protocol?
The standard file transfer protocol for French and European banking
PeSIT: the banking file transfer protocol
PeSIT (Protocole d'Echange pour un Systeme Interbancaire de Telecompensation — Protocol for Exchange in an Interbank Clearing System) is a file transfer protocol developed in 1986 by the GSIT (Groupement pour un Systeme Interbancaire de Telecompensation), the technical body of the French banking system.
Originally designed for French interbank clearing exchanges, PeSIT became the de facto standard for secure file transfers in the banking and financial sector in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and several Francophone African countries.
PeSIT supports TCP/IP and TLS encryption (PeSIT E), checkpoint restart for large files, and mutual authentication via X.509 certificates.
Use Cases
SEPA Transfers
Exchange of SEPA credit transfer and direct debit files between banks and enterprises.
Bank Statements
Automated delivery of bank statements (CFONB, MT940, camt.053).
Interbank Clearing
Exchanges between clearing systems (STET/CORE, TARGET2).
ERP Transfers
Integration with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle) for financial automation.
PeSIT D vs PeSIT E
| Feature | PeSIT D (1986) | PeSIT E (1989) |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | TCP/IP | TCP/IP + TLS |
| Encryption | No | TLS 1.2/1.3 |
| Authentication | Password | Password + X.509 certificate |
| Default port | TCP 6502 | TCP 5001 (TLS) |
| Checkpoint restart | Yes (sync points) | Yes (sync points) |
PeSIT Protocol Architecture
PeSIT uses FPDUs (File Protocol Data Units) as atomic message units. Each FPDU contains a header (phase, type, source/destination identifiers) followed by typed parameters identified by PI (Parameter Information) codes.
The protocol operates in three phases:
Connection Phase (Session)
Connection establishment, parameter negotiation (max size, sync points), authentication.
CONNECT / ACONNECT FPDUs
File Phase
File selection or creation, format and record size negotiation.
CREATE / SELECT / OPEN FPDUs
Transfer Phase (Data)
Data sent in blocks (DTF), with periodic sync points for checkpoint restart.
DTF / SYN / DTF_END FPDUs
PeSIT Software Solutions
Historically, PeSIT solutions have been expensive proprietary software:
| Solution | Vendor | License | Indicative Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| PeSIT Wizard | PeSIT Wizard | Open Core (Apache 2.0) | Free / €299/mo |
| CFT (Connect:Express) | Axway | Proprietary | ~€2,000/mo |
| Connect:Direct | IBM | Proprietary | ~€1,500/mo |
| Interpel | Sopra Banking | Proprietary | Custom |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PeSIT protocol?
PeSIT (Protocole d'Echange pour un Systeme Interbancaire de Telecompensation) is a standard file transfer protocol developed by the French GSIT in 1986. It is used by banks and financial institutions for secure file exchanges: SEPA transfers, account statements, direct debits, and interbank clearing.
Is PeSIT still used today?
Yes, PeSIT remains the reference protocol for banking file exchanges in France and several European countries. Thousands of PeSIT connections are active daily between banks, enterprises, and financial institutions.
What is the difference between PeSIT D and PeSIT E?
PeSIT D (1986) is the original version using TCP/IP. PeSIT E (1989) adds TLS support for encrypted communications, X.509 certificate authentication, and improved error recovery features.
What is PeSIT Wizard?
PeSIT Wizard is a modern, open-source implementation of the PeSIT protocol written in Java 21. It provides a REST API, web UI, Kubernetes-native deployment, and enterprise features like high availability clustering. It is 10x cheaper than legacy solutions like Axway CFT.
What are the alternatives to PeSIT?
The main alternatives for banking file transfers are SFTP, FTPS, AS2, and SWIFT FileAct. However, PeSIT remains mandatory for many French banks and is the only protocol natively supporting features specific to the French banking system (ETEBAC, domestic SEPA).
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