---
title: "Creating and Configuring Communication Channels"
description: "Communication channels are the basic connectivity components in BCM that enable bidirectional data exchange between BCM and external parties."
source_url: https://support.lucanet.com/en/documentation/banking-and-cash-management/channels/communication-channels
language: en
last_updated: 2026-08-27
---
# Creating and Configuring Communication Channels
## Overview
**Communication channels** are the basic connectivity components in Lucanet Banking & Cash Management (BCM). The channels enable unidirectional or bidirectional data exchange between BCM and external systems and partners, depending on the channel type. Communication channels provide the technical connection paths for fetching account statements, submitting payment files, exchanging data with back-end systems, and sending notifications.
After configuration, [jobs](https://support.lucanet.com/en/documentation/banking-and-cash-management/create-and-configure-orders.md) use the channels to execute specific communication tasks automatically or on demand. A channel can exist without assigned jobs; each job refers to exactly one channel of its type.
## Navigation
The **Communication channels** workspace can be found under **Banking & Cash Management | Channels | All channels | Communication channels** and is displayed as follows, for example:
'Communication channels' workspace in the menu navigation
## Creating Communication Channels
To create a communication channel:
1. Navigate to **Channels | All channels | Communication channels**.
2. Click the **Plus** icon in the upper left corner and select the desired channel type in the drop-down list:
Creating a communication channel
> **Note:** Which channel types you see in the drop-down list depends on your license.
3. Configure the channel according to your requirements.
## Available Communication Channels
Communication channels can be divided into four main categories. The following table provides an overview of the categories and their channel types:
| Category | Description |
|---------|---------|
| **Bank connections** | Bank access channels establish secure connections to financial institutions to process banking transactions. These channels enable fetching account statements, submitting payment orders, and exchanging bank-related data in accordance with bank protocols and security standards.
Available channel types:
- **EBICS channel**
- **EBICS-WSS channel**
- **ECB euro foreign exchange rate channel**
- **Fides channel**
- **HBCI/FinTS channel**
- **J.P. Morgan channel**
- **PayPal channel**
- **Salt Edge channel** |
| **File exchanges** | File exchange channels enable the bidirectional exchange of files and messages via different communication protocols and messaging systems. These channels serve as interfaces for automatically receiving and sending bank files, payment files, and other business documents.
Available channel types:
- **EBICS server channel**
- **File exchange channel**
- **RabbitMQ channel**
- **SFTP server channel** |
| **File systems** | File system channels establish connections to different file storage locations and servers. These channels enable access to remote directories for fetching and storing files via standardized file transfer protocols.
Available channel types:
- **FTP channel**
- **SFTP channel**
- **WebDAV channel** |
| **Messaging** | Messaging channels send notifications, warnings, and reports via different communication platforms — for example, automated notifications about system events, balance changes, or missing signatures.
Available channel types:
- **E-mail channel**
- **Slack channel** |