The feature is the latest initiative by New Payments Platform Australia (NPPA), creating a new way for customers to authorise payments from their CBA bank account in near real-time.
The PayTo functionality will allow eligible customers to manage one-off or recurring new PayTo payment agreements within the security of the CommBank App and NetBank, enabling the ability to view, authorise, pause or cancel payment agreements.
To be eligible for the feature, CBA retail and business customers must be able to access NetBank and/or the CommBank App and have a CBA account that is eligible.
PayTo payer capabilities provides more control over payments that come directly from CBA customers' bank accounts, including for regular bills, subscriptions and one-off payments.
Each new digital PayTo payment agreement is authorised through secure banking platforms such as the CommBank App and NetBank, so the feature may also assist in reducing the occurrence of fraud.
CBA Executive General Manager Payments Ethan Teas said PayTo has the potential to revolutionise payments in Australia.
"We’re delighted to be at the forefront of this as the first major Australian bank to offer the PayTo capabilities for our payer customers, and to trial the capabilities for our business customers," Mr Teas said.
"Innovation is at the core of what we’re doing to support Australians to pay and to get paid and PayTo could set the foundations for significant innovation across Australia’s payments system."
Many of PayTo's features are similar to BPAY, another bill payments platform, however payments through BPAY made after 6pm are made the next business day.
PayTo for payee CBA business customers is not currently widely available as it's still in the trial phase.
However, when fully launched, eligible CBA business customers will be able to establish PayTo payment agreements as an alternative to direct debit arrangements as well as third party initiated payments like salary disbursements.
CBA business customers may also be able to accept PayTo payments in eCommerce environments as an alternative to credit and debit card payments.
It may also allow CBA business customers to reduce the costs and delays associated with failed payments.
Cash flow and reconciliation could also see an improvement as digital PayTo payment agreements allow for near real-time payment processing.
The feature allows for more information and data than traditional direct debits to be contained; it also requires payer customers to authorise the PayTo payment agreement.
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