While most of the world’s largest payments companies are prone to trumpeting their expansions in Australia, one international giant – Global Payments Inc – has kept a fairly tight lid on its local activities. With a presence in more than 100 country markets and links to more 1200 financial institutions, Global Payments is one of the world’s largest payments technology businesses. Although the company, which has its headquarters in Atlanta Georgia, is not well known in Australia, it has been deepening its market position in the last decade after acquiring Brisbane-based digital payments provider Ezidebit in 2014. Through Ezidebit, Global Payments has built a national base of more than 60,000 merchants. On Monday it became the largest local merchant acquirer to go live with a Pay-To service capability. PayTo allows utility companies and other billers to withdraw or “pull” money from customers’ accounts after they secure a standing authority or mandate to initiate such transactions. “With PayTo integrated into Ezidebit’s all-in-one payments ecosystem, we can now offer businesses real-time transaction capability as an alternative customer charge method to direct debit,” said Masseh Haidary, the head of Global Payments in Oceania. “Sectors where real-time Ezidebit PayTo capability can dramatically improve business cash flow include health and fitness, self-storage, medical, childcare, hair and beauty, insurance and real estate. “Many businesses in these sectors are small to medium-sized where cash reserves tend to be shallower than those of their larger counterparts. “By enabling these businesses to initiate real-time recurring payments from their customers’ bank accounts with pre-authorised agreements, they carry less risk of missed or disputed transactions and fraud.” Ezidebit is active in a sweep of industries, but specialises in the health and fitness, not-for-profit, education and real estate sectors.  Its merchant base includes The Athlete’s Foot, Raine and Horne and Netball Australia.