The merchant bank provides the current account service to the individual merchant. In this role it offers to the merchant collection services for the transactions carried out at the merchant's terminals. The merchant bank is responsible for the presentment of transactions to the issuing banks and it will credit the merchant's current account with the equivalent values of the transactions presented to the issuing banks.
Any bank can participate as merchant bank in the electronic cash system. Member banks of the German banking associations are automatically entitled to participate in the electronic cash system by their membership in one of the associations. Banks who are not member of one of the associations can participate in the electronic cash system by stating their adherence to the electronic cash regulations issued by Zentraler Kreditausschuss.