The central bank imposed the ban due to Diners' delays in payments to merchants which accepted its cards, but the company said today a deal on the sale of the Italian subsidiary, Diners Club Italia, was being finalised and would generate sufficient cash flow by the end of the week to reduce payment delays.

The company said in a press release that a quick reinstating of the payment transactions licence was key, as every additional day without the licence "incurs greater damage for all stakeholders".

The meeting at the central bank today also featured two creditor banks, Unicredit and Hypo Alpe Adria, which Diners says are "willing to support the continuation of Diners Club operations".

The central bank's measure left some 80,000 cardholders unable to use their cards for payments.