MWEB Business is migrating banking group Absa`s entire online merchant base to its own platform after winning a tender to provide e-commerce services to those Absa clients.
MWEB Business says the base consists of Absa business banking clients with an e-commerce aspect to their business.
Absa made its Absa Online Payments (AOP) system available to them, but has subsequently decided this is not core to its own business, says Anton Gaylard, GM of MWEB Business`s application service provider division.
The merchants are being moved onto MWEB Business`s SafeShop Platform, with migration having begun at the beginning of this month and scheduled for completion on 1 September.
Gaylard says the new customers can expect more enhanced services, as MWEB Business is a dedicated e-commerce service provider that has been involved in this area since 1998.
"We have similar services, but they are more enriched services, because our platform is a true e-commerce gateway," he adds.
The merchants will now also have access to Web development, marketing and other services.
Although the number of merchants has not been disclosed, Gaylard says the deal is significant in terms of the current e-commerce landscape in SA.
Christo Reynecke, Absa`s GM for merchant services, says one of the deciding factors in awarding the tender to MWEB Business was the fact that SafeShop is 3D-Secure enabled.
According to MWEB Business, 3D-Secure is an advanced security platform designed to authenticate online shoppers and their credit cards by means of a unique password or PIN before concluding a transaction.
The implementation of 3D-Secure is being driven by an initiative of card associations MasterCard and Visa.
"Absa took the decision that, rather than invest in upgrading its infrastructure, this area is not core and so it put out the tender, which we won," says Gaylard.
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