| New Payments Platform Australia | |
| Foundation: | 2013 |
| Location: | Australia |
The New Payments Platform (NPP), operated by New Payments Platform Australia Ltd (NPPA)[1] is an industry-wide payments platform for Australia. It became accessible to the general public on 13 February 2018 [2] with the introduction of PayID, an addressing capability, and Osko,[3] the first NPP overlay service, operated by BPAY. As of November 2022, there are nearly 13 million registered PayIDs.[4]
The new instant payment platform for real-time low-value payments was in response to the Reserve Bank of Australia's Payment System Board’s Conclusions to the Strategic Review of the Innovation in Payments System publication.[5] The NPP was announced in July 2013 by the Australian Payments Clearing Association.[6] In December 2014, the Program proceeded to the third phase: "design, build and test." In 2015 a contract was signed with SWIFT to design, build and operate the platform.[7]
In September 2021, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) authorised a proposed merger of the New Payments Platform of eftpos Payments Australia and BPAY.[8] [9]
The Mandated Payment Service is now known as PayTo. It is a system for enabling "withdrawals" on the NPP. The NPP does not inherently support "withdrawals", so the service provides an overlay allowing the "withdrawing" party to create a payment order and authorisation request.[10]
PayID is NPP's addressing service to enable payments. Its PayTo facility allows for payments to be sent by a user to a PayID.[11] The following chart compares PayID mobile payments via NPP to electronic payments, or bank transfers.
| Compare | PayID/PayTo | Bank transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer Time | Less than 1 minute, normally [12] | Up to 3 working days | |
| Activation | Opt-in, via your bank | Always | |
| Payee ID | Phone number, email or ABN[13] | BSB and account number | |
| Withdrawals | via PayTo | Possible (if they have your password) | |
| Direct Debit | via PayTo, with payee authorisation | Possible, but requires payee to cancel | |
| Availability | Banking hours only | ||
| Full Payee Name | Confirmed before approval | Not included | |
| Transfer description | 280 characters (allows emojis) | 18 characters | |
| Remitter name | Personal or business account name | 16 characters | |
| Change accounts | Keep PayID or create new one | Same BSB and new account number | |
| Switch banks | Keep PayID or create new one | New BSB and new account number | |
| Multiple IDs | Use multiple emails | Never | |
| Pay Overseas | In the near future | Current |
PayID will coexist with the BSB and account number addressing scheme.
Osko is owned and operated by BPAY, and operates on the NPP as an overlay service. It uses PayID as a reference for payments. Payments are instant to accounts that have been transferred to previously.
In the spring of 2021, BPAY attributed a change in NPPA strategy (particularly the announcement of MPS, the Mandated Payment Service), as the cause of write-down in the value of their Osko business.[14]
PayID has been noted in Australia as a vehicle for online scammers on social media marketplaces. [15] [16] [17]
Banks that accept PayID include Commonwealth Bank (up to $10,000 for personal accounts, two-factor authentication, ability to block/unblock PayID), Westpac (limit of AUD 250 per transaction or $1,000 daily, Westpac Protect Security Code, Osko services from BPAY), ING Bank (default limit of $20,000, two-factor authentication, ability to manage PayID through the ING app), ANZ Bank ($1,000 to $25,000 limit depending on account type, ANZ Shield, payment details with 280 characters of description), and NAB (default limit of $20,000, SMS security codes, PayID management through online banking). [18]