Browse our Fintech Glossary for comprehensive insights into
Payments and Financial Technology.
Browse our Fintech Glossary for comprehensive insights into Payments and Financial Technology.
ACH stands for Automated Clearing House, a U.S. financial network used for electronic payments and money transfers. Also known as “direct payments,” ACH payments are a way to transfer money from one bank account to another without using paper checks, credit card networks, wire transfers, or cash.
When an ACH transaction is unsuccessful due to issues such as insufficient funds, invalid account information, or unauthorized debits, a return code is generated to indicate why the transaction was rejected or reversed.
When an ACH transaction is unsuccessful due to issues such as insufficient funds, invalid account information, or unauthorized debits, a return code is generated to indicate why the transaction was rejected or reversed.
An ACH reversal occurs when a mistaken transaction occurs, and the transaction must be reversed and the funds returned to the sender.
A NACHA file is the standardized file format used to communicate ACH payment processing instructions between financial institutions.
Same Day ACH enhances payment speed by enabling same day settlement for eligible transactions. This service supports credit, debit, and return transactions, ensuring funds are processed within the same day when they meet the required criteria.
EFT stands for Electronic Funds Transfer and is the backbone of the Canadian payment industry. EFT offers a safe and cost-effective way to electronically credit or debit accounts at any Canadian financial institution in Canadian or U.S. dollars.
An EFT return code occurs when an EFT payment is unsuccessful, and each specific code will refer to the reason for the failure.
EFT reversals are when a payment is reversed due to issues such as incorrect payment details or customer disputes.
Bulk EFT payments refer to processing Canadian bank account transactions in bulk in order to optimize payment operations at scale.
The EFT CPA 005 file format is a Canadian formatting standard for generating electronic funds transfer files.
EFT cut-off times refer to the deadlines set by financial institutions for processing EFT transactions.
An EFT API integration connects a business’s software infrastructure to an EFT payment gateway, enabling programmatic access to EFT payment processing.
EFT payments and wire transfers are two different types of electronic transactions, each with its own pros and cons.
Infrastructure relates to all the networks, systems and operational services that facilitate the exchange of funds through electronic transactions.
Non-sufficient funds or NSF is the term used when a bank account lacks the necessary balance to cover a transaction.
Clearing and settlement refers to the steps that electronic payments follow in order to arrive at the receiving account.
Net settlement and gross settlement refer to the two main types of settlement methods used in electronic payment transfers.
Direct Deposit is a term used within the Canadian and U.S. payment landscape to describe an electronic transfer of funds from one account to another
PAD is a term commonly used in the Canadian payments landscape, and other terms used for this concept include direct debit, pre-authorized withdrawals, and pre-authorized payments.
ISO 20022 is a global, data-rich financial messaging standard that is becoming widely used by financial institutions.
Cross-border payments are money transfers that are made from one country to another, often passing through multiple financial networks and regulatory frameworks. The process is complex and involves elements of currency conversion, foreign exchange networks, and various fees along the way.
A cross-border payments API is a particular type of payment API that allows businesses to access international payment methods.
Foreign exchange is the process of converting one currency to another, an essential part of cross-border transactions.
Cross-border fees are the costs associated with making international payments.
International SWIFT payments are a widely used method for transferring funds between banks across borders.
Originally developed to streamline cross-border payments and reduce errors, the IBAN provides a consistent format that banks and financial institutions use to ensure that funds are directed to the correct accounts.
Interac e-Transfer is a widely-used payment method available in Canada. The network is owned and operated by the Interac Corporation, and uses an email address or phone number as a proxy for bank account information.
Auto-deposit for Interac e-Transfer removes the Security Question stage of the payment process, allowing incoming funds to be deposited automatically.
Security questions are an additional layer of protection used when sending and receiving Interac e-Transfer payments.
Fraudsters exploit vulnerabilities in the Interac e-Transfer service in various ways to intercept funds and scam money from people and businesses.
Within the period of submitting an Interac e-Transfer payment and the funds being deposited, it is possible to cancel the transaction in some cases.
Compliance refers to the activities related to payments compliance and regulatory frameworks. Most countries and duristictions have their own compliance rules and guidelines in order to limit the risks associated with fraud, money laundering, and financial crimes.
Customer due diligence is an essential part of risk management used by financial institutions and businesses to verify the identity of their clients and assess potential risks.
Know your customer (KYC) is the process of verifying the identity of customers and clients to ensure they are who they say they are.
Know your business (KYB) is similar to know your customer (KYC) and involves the collection and verification of key information about a company.
Identity verification is a critical procedure used by organizations to verify a person's identity and validate they are who they say they are.
Anti Money Laundering (AML) refers to the laws, regulations, and procedures put in place to prevent criminals from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income.
The risks associated with payments are largely misunderstood and can pose a serious threat to businesses and individuals if underestimated. Make sure you understand your risk exposure when dealing with the transfer of funds.
Transaction monitoring involves the systematic review and analysis of financial transactions to detect anomalies, unusual patterns, or activities that may indicate fraud or money laundering.
Transaction fraud occurs when an individual or group exploits weaknesses in payment systems to initiate, modify, or intercept financial transactions without authorization.
A chargeback is the reversal of a payment, initiated when a cardholder disputes a transaction with their issuing bank.
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