Leading digital payments provider Peach Payments has launched real-time clearance (RTC) payouts for all merchants on its platform in South Africa. The new payouts solution lets merchants top up their float and disburse payments in just minutes.

Says Rahul Jain, CEO and co-founder, Peach Payments, “Peach Payments’ revamped payout capability offers a seamless, automated solution to disburse funds in South Africa. With real-time payouts, automated processes, and batch payment handling, it reduces manual intervention and enhances efficiency.

“This is a key enabler for Peach Payments as we look to scale our offering locally and further afield,” Jain comments.

Merchants can top up their float using their settlement funds or via EFT, which simplifies float management. Real-time clearance means recipients can typically access their funds within 90 seconds.

Peach Payments has launched the offering at roughly half the usual merchant transaction fee, he adds.

Rapid reprocessing

Peach Payments’ RTC Payouts offers automated reconciliation, CSV uploads, float top-ups, and batch payments, which are not delayed if the merchant’s bank’s systems are down.

The Peach Payments API handles automated bulk payments, keeps payouts moving to other banks, and highlights any failed payments for quick reprocessing, with no guesswork or manual reconciliation. A UI on the Peach Payments dashboard manages payments for merchants who prefer not to use the API, or want to make a single payment.

The solution is useful for companies that need to rapidly distribute refunds and commissions to customers, pay gig workers with varying payout schedules, and manage salary disbursements, bonuses, and expense reimbursements. It can also facilitate loan disbursements and repayments, and insurance claim settlements to policyholders.

Faster settlements

Says Fred Gyekye Ofosu, Product Operations Manager at Cadana Pay, a global payroll provider, “Switching to Peach Payments RTC Payouts has resulted in a 50% reduction in costs. The pricing model is transparent, and we no longer incur hidden fees or deal with costly intermediaries. For a global payroll provider like us, that directly improves margins and allows us to reinvest in growth.

“Previously, it took up to four days for funds to reach recipients, but now with Peach Payments RTC Payouts, we’ve cut the process to just hours. We’ve achieved a 75% time saving on settlement and payout operations, drastically improving both internal workflows and the user experience.”

Quick activation

Merchants with the in-house technical abilities to use the API can integrate and go live within a day or two. Merchants who prefer not to use the API can access Payouts on their existing Peach Payments dashboard.

The offering is currently available in South Africa and will be made available in other countries in due course, contingent on their regulatory requirements.

Peach Payments plans to integrate Payouts with other payment methods, Jain says. This will allow for features like refunds for EFT payments. It will also facilitate partnerships for expanding into new markets and reaching different customer segments, such as through e-wallet, and voucher payouts.

//Staff writer