We wish to inform you that the Association of Banks in Singapore as the scheme owner of PayNow will be discontinuing the PayNow nickname feature for retail customers with effect from 6 June 2026 to strengthen protection against impersonation scams.
With this change, the name of the Payee linked to the registered retail bank or e-wallet account – with only selected letters displayed – will be shown to you when you send payments to individuals using PayNow, helping to safeguard customer privacy.
This enhancement serves as a crucial safeguard against scammers who impersonate legitimate entities and individuals. Previously, scammers could exploit the PayNow nickname feature by using the names of established companies or trusted individuals as their PayNow nicknames, enabling them to deceive victims into transferring money to fraudulent accounts. With this enhanced security measure, scammers will no longer be able to masquerade as legitimate entities or persons, significantly reducing their ability to deceive unsuspecting users through PayNow.
Currently, retail customers may choose to display either their PayNow nickname, or the name linked to their registered bank or e-wallet account to the sender.
There is no action needed on your part as businesses do not have access to the PayNow nickname feature and are unable to modify their registered account names. All other aspects of receiving and transferring money via PayNow remain unchanged.
The following examples illustrate what a Payer will see when initiating a PayNow transfer to a Payee from 6 June 2026 onwards. The same information will be reflected on their screen for payment initiation, reports, and advice when funds are transferred to a retail or e-wallet beneficiary.
NO. | PAYEE'S REGISTERED ACCOUNT NAME | CURRENT PAYNOW NICKNAME | PAYEE'S ACCOUNT NAME WITH SELECTED LETTERS DISPLAYED (EFFECTIVE 6 JUNE2026) |
1 | Chan Shi Hui Jacqueline | Jacq | ChXX ShX HuX JacquXXXXX |
2 | Muhammad Hakeem bin Osman | Hakeem | MuhamXXX HakXXX biX OsmXX |
3 | Muthu Ramesh Murugan s/o P. Loganathan | hiMRM | MutXX RamXXX MuruXXX s/X P. LogXXXXXXX |
(The names and nicknames used in this table are fictitious and are used solely for the purpose of illustration as shared by ABS.)
For more information and frequently asked questions about PayNow nickname, please visit the ABS website. <https://abs.org.sg/docs/library/paynow-nickname-feature-to-cease-from-6-june-2026-to-strengthen-protection-against-impersonation-scams57db166f-f8ab-455c-bc17-c7e0b69b377c.pdf>