ABA File

What it means

An ABA file is the plain-text format, defined by the Australian Bankers’ Association, that businesses use to hand a bank a batch of payment instructions in one go. Each line carries details such as a BSB, account number, and amount for the bank to process in a bulk pay run. It is sometimes called a cemtext file. Example: accounts payable exports an ABA file from the accounting system and uploads it to internet banking to pay 200 supplier invoices at once.

Why it matters for Australian finance teams

The ABA file is a high-value target because it is often generated and uploaded with little scrutiny of the individual account numbers inside it. If a fraudster has changed one supplier’s bank details, or tampered with the file, the wrong account is paid the moment the batch is processed. Because the accounts inside are trusted implicitly, both errors and fraud can pass straight through.

How ezyshield helps

ezyshield addresses the step before the file is built: confirming the person, the business via ABN and ASIC, and bank account ownership before accounts are trusted, and re-verifying whenever details change, so the account numbers that end up in your ABA file have actually been checked. ezyshield verifies payees and their accounts; it is not a full vendor management system. See accounts payable fraud prevention and how ezyshield works.