Cross Switch has collaborated with Absa to enable online merchants on its platform to offer their customers Absa Pay, a secure, bank-authenticated payment option.
According to a statement, unlike traditional online payments, Absa Pay does not require card numbers, CVV codes, or sensitive banking details to be entered on a merchant’s website during the check-out process.
Instead, the transaction is initiated using a phone number or ID, and ensures no sensitive information is shared during the process.
This is made possible through the payment initiation API that allows customers to make online payments quickly and safely.
Cross Switch is a payments infrastructure provider that specialises in simplifying how merchants connect to multiple payment methods and banking systems.
Rather than building and maintaining individual integrations with banks and schemes, merchants can use Cross Switch as a single integration point that handles routing, security and reconciliation across supported clients, says the payments firm.
“When Absa customers select Absa Pay at checkout, they are routed to a secure Absa environment to authenticate the payment directly with their bank. This means the customer confirms the payment in a bank-controlled environment and is then returned to the merchant’s platform to complete the transaction,” says Cross Switch.
Absa says it developed Absa Pay to give fintech firms, e-commerce platforms and other digital partners a safe, authenticated way to engage with the bank through secure, API-based systems.
According to Absa, the solution “ensures clients can connect using trusted, bank-controlled authentication flows, without exposing sensitive customer card information on external platforms”.
This direct authentication flow enables customer authentication and real-time payment confirmation, reducing fraud risk and increasing trust for all parties in the transaction. Merchants on the Cross Switch platform benefit from bank-side monitoring that helps ensure uptime and reliability, the company says.
Beyond security and authentication, the integration of Absa Pay supports improved operational efficiencies for merchants. These include automated reconciliation and reliable settlement processes that align with existing financial workflows.
The improved user payment experience is intended to also help drive revenue by reducing failed online payments, which lead to abandoned carts.
“The addition of Absa Pay enables our online merchants to enhance the customer experience without disrupting their current payment infrastructure. Merchants can enable Absa Pay with limited additional development, and it integrates seamlessly alongside existing payment methods,” says Cross Switch.
Bank-authenticated, account-to-account payment methods continue to grow in SA, reflecting increasing consumer confidence in secure, direct-from-bank transaction flows.
Other similar services offered by banks include Capitec Pay and Instant Pay, offered by Nedbank.
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