Payment switching solutions
Our payment switching services link all customer channels to issuers and acquirers for the safe and secure payment of goods and services, including value-added services. We facilitate exceptional software to allow for near 100% uptime to ensure the most efficient processing of in-store and online payments.
Who is involved in the payment switching process?
In the context of payment switching occurring either in-store or online, these are the key role players:
The Merchant
The business offering goods or services for sale to the public. This is the party that requires a switching service to be in place for safe and secure transactions.
The Consumer
The individual seeking to make a purchase from a merchant using their cashless payment method of choice.
The Acquirer
The bank chosen by the merchant to process card purchases on their behalf. This bank allows the merchant access to the network, which allows for validation of the transaction and the transfer of funds. Acquirers are key to ensuring that the merchant receives their payment safely and securely.
The network facilitates the transaction between different banks, as they feed necessary information regarding tallied amounts through to contributing acquirers within the network.
The bank or financial entity that authorised and issued the consumer a bank card that allows them to make these purchases. The issuer has access to the consumer’s information and can validate the purchase.
The three steps involved in an electronic payment:
Authorization
The authorization begins at checkout when details and information regarding the transaction are communicated throughout the parties. Once the transaction commences, the Ecentric switching process flows as follows:
- Sponsoring bank of your choice.
- Voucher number and PIN selection options available.
- Choice of system generated SMSes to be sent to the sender or receiver.
During our switching process, anti-fraud mechanisms are in place throughout. These precautions are set out on a rule-based authorization and will determine whether the transaction is safe and secure to see through.
These messages run across the merchant, acquirer and issuer to ensure that the proper authorisation is given to the cardholder. This advisement allows merchants to identify whether the cardholder has sufficient funds to make their purchase and helps mitigate fraud, all within a matter of seconds.
Clearing
The second step in finalising an electronic payment involves the exchange of financial information between the involved parties. As the merchant closes their sales for the day, the network facilitates the acquirer and issuer in providing formatted information regarding the reconciliation of funds that should be settled amongst the participants within the network.
Settlement
Once the network has confirmed and communicated the necessary information between acquirers and issuers, the settlement of funds between these participants can begin. The reconciliation of this settlement is facilitated by our ReconAssist™ software. This software reduces what has historically been a time-consuming and manual, generally Microsoft Excel-based, reconciliation to an exercise performed in seconds.
Why payment switching is important
Payment switching helps boost the financial inclusion of a business by providing a wider range of cashless payment solutions in a secure manner. This boost helps improve economic growth within the business and allows for an edge against competitors. It also allows for real-time confirmation for convenient and secure transactions.
Interested or want to know more?