Cross Switch integrates Absa Pay into Its merchant platform, enabling bank-authenticated online checkout without card details

Customers initiate transactions using a phone number or ID and authenticate directly within Absa's environment, removing the need to enter card numbers or CVV codes on merchant websites

Cross Switch, a payments infrastructure company that provides merchants with a single integration point to connect to multiple payment methods and banking systems, has added Absa Pay to its platform. The integration allows online merchants using Cross Switch to offer their customers a checkout option that does not require card numbers, CVV codes or other sensitive banking details to be entered on the merchant's website.

When a customer selects Absa Pay at checkout, they are redirected to a secure Absa-controlled environment where they authenticate the payment directly with the bank using a phone number or ID. Once authentication is confirmed, the customer is returned to the merchant's platform to complete the transaction. No sensitive card information passes through the merchant's systems during this process.

Cross Switch functions as a middleware layer for merchants, handling routing, security and reconciliation across the payment methods and banking integrations it supports. Rather than building and maintaining separate connections to individual banks and payment schemes, merchants connect once to Cross Switch and gain access to the payment options available on the platform. Adding Absa Pay requires limited additional development for merchants already on the platform.

Absa developed the payment initiation API underlying Absa Pay to give fintech firms, e-commerce platforms and digital partners a way to connect to the bank through authenticated, API-based flows. According to Absa, the solution ensures that customer authentication happens within bank-controlled systems, keeping sensitive card information off external platforms.

The integration also supports operational functions on the merchant side, including automated reconciliation and settlement processes. By reducing instances of failed payments, which typically result in abandoned transactions, the solution is intended to improve checkout completion rates.

"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," Cross Switch said in a statement.

Bank-authenticated, account-to-account payment methods are expanding in South Africa. Similar services from other institutions include Capitec Pay and Nedbank's Instant Pay.