The dominant payment rail.
WHAT THE SCHEME PROVIDES
Near-immediate transfer between accounts at different institutions.
HOW IT IS INITIATED
Through a banking application Through USSD Through a merchant's payment flow Through a provider's interface
WHAT MAKES IT FAST
Real-time messaging between institutions, with settlement handled separately.
WHAT NAME ENQUIRY DOES
Returns the account holder's name before the transfer is sent.
WHY THAT MATTERS ENORMOUSLY
It is the primary defence against sending money to the wrong account.
WHAT TO ALWAYS DISPLAY
The returned name, prominently, for confirmation.
WHAT IRREVERSIBILITY MEANS
A completed transfer generally cannot be recalled.
WHAT RECOURSE EXISTS
Processes for erroneous transfers, which depend on cooperation and are not guaranteed.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR PRODUCT DESIGN
Confirmation before sending is the last line of defence.
WHAT FAILURE MODES EXIST
Debited but not credited, pending reconciliation Timeouts where the outcome is unknown Duplicate sends after an apparent failure
WHAT TO BUILD
Status queries, and handling of unknown outcomes.
WHAT TO NEVER ASSUME
That a timeout means the transfer did not happen.
