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Electronic bill payment is a feature of online, mobile and telephone banking, similar in its effect to a giro, allowing a customer of a financial institution to transfer money from their transaction or credit card account to a creditor or vendor such as a public utility, department store or an individual to be credited against a specific account. These payments are typically executed electronically as a direct deposit through a national payment system, operated by the banks or in conjunction with the government. Payment is typically initiated by the payer but can also be set up as a direct debit.
In addition to the bill payment facility, most banks will also offer various features with their electronic bill payment systems. These include the ability to schedule payments in advance to be made on a specified date (convenient for installments such as mortgage and support payments), to save the biller information for reuse at a future time and various options for searching the recent payment history. In many cases the payment data can also be downloaded and posted directly into the customer's accounting or personal finance software.
Although this technology was available from the mid-1990s, uptake was initially slow until internet access by households increased. Early adopters were primarily businesses and tech-savvy consumers with regular internet connectivity and a need for more efficient financial management. Most consumers were still reliant on traditional check-based or in-person payment methods due to concerns about online security, lack of digital literacy, and limited access to banking interfaces compatible with electronic payment systems.[1]
By 2000, as broadband internet became more widely available and banks began integrating online services into their customer offerings, the adoption of electronic bill payment systems started to dramatically increase. Financial institutions began to offer user-friendly interfaces that allowed customers to schedule one-time or recurring payments, reducing the need for paper checks and manual processing.
The 2000s saw rapid innovation in the space, with third-party services and fintech startups entering the market, offering features such as automatic payment reminders, multi-account management, and mobile app integration. This led to greater consumer trust and convenience, making electronic bill payment a standard feature in most banking platforms by the end of the decade.[2]
政府機関や公共事業体も電子決済の受け入れを開始し、紙ベースの請求書からの移行をさらに加速させた。2010年代までには、セキュリティプロトコルの強化、暗号化規格の整備、そしてデジタル利便性に対する消費者の期待の高まりに支えられ、多くの先進国で電子請求書決済が標準となった。
消費者の視点から見ると、電子決済は小切手の作成、郵送、照合よりも安価で迅速、そして便利です。さらに、制限はあるものの、電子決済ではより多くの銀行口座やクレジットカードを利用できます。オンラインで請求書を支払うことで、従来の小切手ではなく、多様な支払い方法を利用できるのです。
電子請求書提示および支払いを利用することで、企業は顧客からの支払いを迅速化し、より早く資金にアクセスできるようになるため、結果としてキャッシュフローの改善につながります。[ 3 ]
銀行にとって、電子請求書支払いの利点は、事務処理を最小限に抑える処理コストの削減と顧客ロイヤルティの向上です。2003年の調査で、銀行は「オンラインで支払う顧客はロイヤルティが高く、他のオファーにもより好意的である」と述べています。[ 4 ]