Soban aligned with option 002 proposed by James for the payment building block, which involved using a third-party switch for payments
Soban also considered option 001, in which the central bank played a role in the payment process
Soban mentioned that the payment building block provisioned funds for settlement accounts in the ledgers and received bulk instructions from government ministries to debit a particular account and credit a particular FSP
Soban explained that credit instructions with pay information and pay details were sent to FSPs
Soban emphasized the need for a generalized process for payment instructions and payment availability, regardless of the payment scenario
Soban provided technical insights on the payment flow, debulking, provisioning, and the issuance and redemption of vouchers
Soban supported Khuram's suggestion to post changes in the comments
Elie
Shares his point of view on the process and the payment building block's position between the government entity and the payer
Agrees with Soban's points on the role of the payment building block, clarifying that it cannot do the payment by itself and can only send an order to an FSP
Discusses the issue of whether the payment building block will send payment instructions directly or through a switch, clarifying that it will send payment instructions to FSPs and not to the switch itself
Agrees with Khuram's explanation of sending payment instructions through the National Bank and sending lump sum checks to FSPs
Emphasizes that the FSP should confirm payment availability, not the payment building block
Discusses the validation of payments and the payment building block's role in sending messages back to the payment initiator in case of insufficient funds
Suggested that the situation where there is no switch should not be considered, and that it is in the benefit of the country to implement the payments building block with a payment system where FSPs are connected.
Clarified that there are different options for non-banks to connect through an aggregator and that APIs should be provided for FSPs to connect to the payments building block.
Khuram farooq
Agrees with Elie's point of view and suggests that the payment switch is not part of the building block.
Pointed out that the function of the payment building block is to send payment instructions, and discussed the different scenarios for sending lump sum instructions with various types of control totals, such as through integrated with the Treasury single account in the government's public financial management and dismiss system.
Explained the process of sending payment instructions through the National Bank and sending lump sum checks to financial service providers (FSPs).
Discussed the Treasury single account scenario, where the Treasury holds upfront the lump sum amount for payments.
Discussed the commercial bank scenario, where the Ministry of Social Affairs confirms payments to FSPs.
Emphasized the need for flexibility in the payment building block to send payments directly to commercial banks and break down payments by FSPs.
Provided insights into how payment orders are sent and processed by budget-holding authorities, and the role of budget control systems in ensuring payments are made within budget limits. Discussed how bulk payments may be prefunded or not, and how reimbursements are made to FSPs.
Raised a core issue about the legal responsibility of FSPs in processing and validating payments, and how the egovernment payment solution should not only focus on compensation between FSPs but also on ensuring that payments are properly validated and confirmed.
Discussed the components of a payment instruction, including the account references, amounts, and narration. Clarifies that payment instructions are sent to the payer FSP for processing and confirmation.