Electronic funds transfer

The funds transfer process generally consists of a series of electronic messages sent between financial institutions directing each to make the debit and credit accounting entries necessary to complete the transaction. An electronic funds transfer starts when the sending customer send an electronic instruction with the purpose of making payment to the beneficiary or the receiving customer.

Process

According to the United States Electronic Fund Transfer Act of 1978 it is "a funds transfer initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, computer (including on-line banking) or magnetic tape for the purpose of ordering, instructing, or authorizing a financial institution to debit or credit a consumer's account".

EFT transactions are known by a number of names across countries and different payment systems. For example, in the United States, they may be referred to as "electronic checks" or "e-checks". In the United Kingdom, the term "BACS Payment", "bank transfer" and "bank payment" are used, in Canada, "e-Transfer" is used, while in several European countries "giro transfer" is the common term.