Paynow: the moment everyone is talking about

PayNow's decision to end the nickname feature for retail customers is meant to strengthen protection against impersonation scams. Paynow has emerged this Friday as one of the stories drawing attention in Singapore.

Key facts

• PayNow's decision to end the nickname feature for retail customers is meant to strengthen protection against impersonation scams.
• PayNow users will no longer be able to customise their display names from June 6.
• In a statement on April 29, the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) said the PayNow nickname feature for retail customers will be discontinued to strengthen protection against impersonation scams.
• The nickname feature has been available to retail users since PayNow was launched in 2017.
• All display names will be automatically updated to reflect "selected letters" of a retail payee's registered account name during PayNow transfers to safeguard customer privacy, said the Association of Banks in Singapore.

What we know

Going deeper, PayNow users will no longer be able to customise their display names from June 6.

On the substance, In a statement on April 29, the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) said the PayNow nickname feature for retail customers will be discontinued to strengthen protection against impersonation scams.

Beyond the headlines, the nickname feature has been available to retail users since PayNow was launched in 2017.

More precisely, all display names will be automatically updated to reflect "selected letters" of a retail payee's registered account name during PayNow transfers to safeguard customer privacy, said the Association of Banks in Singapore.

It is worth noting that the nickname feature for PayNow retail users will be discontinued on Jun 6 to strengthen protection against impersonation scams, the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) said on Wednesday (Apr 29).

By the numbers

At this stage, the nickname feature has been available since PayNow was launched in 2017, and was meant to address privacy concerns from customers who preferred not to display their registered account names when receiving payments via their mobile number or NRIC numbers.

On a related note, From June 6, all display names will be updated automatically to reflect the registered names.

Going deeper, ST previously reported that the nickname feature would be discontinued in 2024, but the rollout was delayed as more time was needed to conduct consumer feedback studies, ABS said.

What they're saying

“Discontinuing the nickname feature removes an avenue that scammers can exploit while safeguarding customer privacy.”

The wider context

On a related note, Previously, scammers could exploit the nickname feature by using the names of established entities or trusted individuals as their PayNow aliases, allowing them to dupe victims into transferring money to fraudulent accounts.

Going deeper, With this change, PayNow users will be able to see their payee’s verified, registered account name

On the substance, ABS director Ong-Ang Ai Boon said: “While PayNow has made everyday payments more convenient, it is equally important that users can transact with confidence.

“The logic for the updated PayNow name has taken into consideration industry best practices, consumer feedback, and is centrally applied to provide consistency.

More precisely, Hence, users will not be able to make changes to the updated PayNow name,” ABS said.

The bottom line

• The nickname feature has been available to retail users since PayNow was launched in 2017.
• All display names will be automatically updated to reflect "selected letters" of a retail payee's registered account name during PayNow transfers to safeguard customer privacy, said the Association of Banks in Singapore.
• The nickname feature for PayNow retail users will be discontinued on Jun 6 to strengthen protection against impersonation scams, the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) said on Wednesday (Apr 29).
• Searches spiking right now: No more nicknames: PayNow to end alias option for users from June, PayNow to end nickname feature for users from June 6 to curb scams, Singapore News, PayNow nickname feature to be discontinued on Jun 6 to combat impersonation scams, PayNow nickname feature to cease from Jun. 6, 2026 to combat impersonation scams.