Electronic funds transfer should not be confused with Electronic benefit transfer.
Electronic funds transfer (EFT) is the electronic transfer of money from one bank account to another, either within a single financial institution or across multiple institutions, via computer-based systems, without the direct intervention of bank staff. Funds transfers are the primary mechanism used by the business community for fast and reliable transfer of funds between two parties. The funds transfer process generally consists of a series of electronic messages sent between financial institutions directing each to make the debit and credit accounting entries necessary to complete the transaction. A funds transfer can generally be described as a series of payment instruction messages, beginning with the originator's (sending customer's) instructions, and including a series of further instructions between the participating institutions, with the purpose of making payment to the beneficiary (receiving customer).[1]
According to the United States Electronic Fund Transfer Act of 1978 it is "a funds transfer initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, computer (including on-line banking) or magnetic tape for the purpose of ordering, instructing, or authorizing a financial institution to debit or credit a consumer's account".[2]
EFT transactions are known by a number of names across countries and different payment systems. For example, in the United States, they may be referred to as "electronic checks" or "e-checks". In the United Kingdom, the term "BACS Payment", "bank transfer" and "bank payment" are used, in Canada, "e-transfer" is used, while in several other European countries "giro transfer" is the common term.
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is an umbrella term that refers to a number of different transfer methods:[2]