Real-time payments have become part of everyday life in Australia, with almost $7 billion moving via the NPP each day. Over the past year, the value of payments made via the NPP has grown around 22%, while transaction volumes continue to accelerate by close to 15% year on year. Increasingly, businesses and government agencies are turning to real-time payments to unlock new levels of productivity and innovation, improve cash flow and elevate customer experiences. 

As adoption grows, fast, efficient, secure payments via the NPP are becoming a cornerstone of a modern, competitive and productive Australian economy. 

In this update, we share some of the latest developments on the move to NPP, including progress towards a future vision for account to account (A2A) payments, key findings from the recent public consultation on NPP capabilities and how real-time payments will be a key enabler for payday super.  

The RBA’s Risk Assessment on the Decommissioning of the Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS), released in March 2025, highlighted the importance of establishing a clear, shared vision for the future of A2A payments – one that achieves safe, reliable, low-cost and easy to use payments, while supporting innovation and resilience in Australia’s digital economy.  

In line with this recommendation, in July AP+ and Australian Payments Network (AusPayNet) launched a public consultation to collect feedback from a broad cross-section of stakeholders on the future of A2A payments in Australia. We’re pleased to share the key findings from the consultation, as well as the next steps.  

Shaping a future vision for Australia’s A2A payments

AP+ and AusPayNet have published the findings from their joint Public consultation on the future vision for account-to-account (A2A) payments, capturing insights from across the payments ecosystem on how Australia’s A2A payments system should evolve to meet future needs and expectations.  

The consultation highlighted the importance of Australia’s A2A payments system and the critical role A2A payments play in the daily lives of all Australians. Submissions reflected strong support for developing a shared industry vision to guide future industry investment in capabilities and services that deliver innovation and efficiency across the ecosystem.  

Stakeholders emphasised that the future system should deliver on key objectives such as accessibility, capability, cost-effectiveness, reliability, safety, standardisation and governance – ensuring payments remain secure, resilient and inclusive. Many also noted the need for a balanced approach to implementation that recognises potential trade-offs between these goals.  

A summary of the findings and next steps can be read here, the full report is available here. 

NPP capability developments

Alongside the public consultation on the future vision for Australia’s A2A payments, AP+ launched a second consultation, focusing on the potential enhancements and capabilities to support future growth of the NPP.   

The NPP capabilities consultation brought together perspectives from across the payments ecosystem, highlighting some priorities for bulk payments, a standardised format for payment instructions, batch booking and trace accounts.  

A summary of the findings and next steps can be read here, the full report is available here. 

Ongoing priorities on the move to NPP  

AP+ has an extensive program of work underway to ensure the NPP has the capability, capacity, reach and resilience to easily handle the expected uplift in transaction volumes resulting from the transition away from BECS. Some of these priorities include:  

• Ongoing capacity uplifts in preparation for volume growth with the next uplift on track for the end of 2025.  
• Capability enhancements are also in progress, including an upgrade of the ISO 20022 message version that the NPP operates on and data uplifts to the NPP payments message, both scheduled for end 2026 delivery.  
• In consultation with industry, AP+ is working on a contingency strategy for the NPP that considers a range of scenarios and contingency options.  
• Today, 128 million accounts can make and receive payments on the NPP. AP+ is continuing to work with NPP Participants to close the remaining account reach gaps.  
• AP+ is also collaborating with industry to identify the most efficient approach to processing large bulk payment files on the NPP.  

AP+ continues to engage with end users, key stakeholders and industry to drive the education and awareness of the NPP required to support the transition.  

The establishment of the Move to NPP Steering Committee with an independent chair earlier this year is an important step in bringing together collaboration of key stakeholders involved in the transition of payments to the NPP. The Committee is an important forum to align as an industry and discuss key aspects of the move to NPP.  In addition to industry representatives, the Committee includes observers from the RBA Policy Department, the RBA Payments Settlements Department, Commonwealth Treasury and AusPayNet.

Real-time payments will play a central role in enabling payday super

AP+ welcomes the passing of payday super legislation earlier this month. The new obligations mean that from July 2026, all employers will be required to pay their employees' super at the same time as their salary and wages.  
 
It's a great outcome for employees, who will benefit from more frequent superannuation contributions that are invested sooner, helping boost their retirement balances over time. The change also improves transparency, allowing Australians to more easily track that their super is being paid on time.  
 
The NPP will play a central role in enabling payday super, facilitating fast, secure, data-rich payments that will improve transparency and efficiency for employers, super funds and employees.  
 
In addition to the new legislation, the ATO in August approved the NPP as a payment method for superannuation contributions and confirmed that, from 1 July 2026, all super funds must be able to receive superannuation payments via the NPP.  

For more information on real-time super payments, visit our resources page.  

Australia’s payments future  

Real-time payments are fast becoming the standard for how money moves in Australia. With the NPP now supporting billions of dollars in transactions every day, consumers and businesses are increasingly realising the benefits of fast, efficient and secure payments.  

As adoption continues to grow, the NPP is helping to realise Australia’s ambition of being a world-leading digital economy and society, where businesses, government and citizens benefit from secure, efficient payments that support innovation and productivity.  Stay tuned for further updates as we progress toward Australia’s payments future.