Spenda Gateway targets $14.6Bn ATO credit card cut-off opportunity
Spenda Limited (ASX:SPX) is positioning Spenda Gateway for the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) decision, announced on 1 October 2026, to stop accepting credit cards after 30 November 2026. From that date, card payments will be declined.
The ATO move follows the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging, and the RBA’s card surcharge ban took effect on 1 October.
For businesses that use credit cards to manage tax-time cash flow, the change removes a working capital tool. Spenda is offering Spenda Gateway as an alternative.
Niv Dagan, Chairman
“The ATO’s decision leaves many businesses looking for another way to manage tax-time cash flow. Spenda Gateway lets them keep using the credit facilities they already have, for both their tax and their suppliers, with the fee shown upfront before they pay.”
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The ATO deadline and a $14.6Bn market
The announcement puts a defined date and a sizeable payment pool around the change. The figures below relate to ATO collections in 2024-25 and to merchant fees, not to Spenda revenue.
Key figures
- Deadline: after 30 November 2026, card payments will be declined
- Approximately 2.3% of ATO collections were paid by credit card in 2024-25
- Those card payments covered over $14.6Bn in transaction volumes
- Merchant fees for credit card payments are estimated at almost $200M annually
- According to the ATO, more than 60% of credit card payments by value in 2024-25 were made by privately owned and wealthy groups and public and multinational businesses
Taxpayers with payment plans or direct debits linked to a credit card must change payment method before their next instalment due after 30 November.
A fixed deadline creates a time-bound window in which affected businesses need an alternative. The announcement does not disclose any customer or revenue figures, so it does not indicate that Spenda has captured any of this volume.
How card-funded payments work
Many payees, including the ATO from December, do not accept credit cards. A card-funded payment service lets a business pay such an invoice with its existing credit card, while the payee receives funds in the usual way.
This matters for working capital. A card’s interest-free period lets a business defer the cash outflow, and rewards from the card issuer and participating network programs add a further benefit.
Under Spenda Gateway, the business pays suppliers in its own name, with the business’s name shown as the remitter on the deposit to the payee.
The announcement notes that, under the same RBA reforms, the interchange cap on business credit cards remains at 0.8%. The economics that fund business card rewards are therefore largely unaffected.
Beyond tax and supplier invoices, the announcement says the capability could also include School & Childcare Fees, Rent, Utilities and other business expenses.
What Spenda Gateway offers businesses
Spenda relaunched Spenda Gateway as an AI-powered accounts-payable platform. According to the announcement, it allows a business to:
- Continue funding ATO payments by credit card after 30 November 2026, for a fee disclosed to the payer before payment is authorised
- Pay supplier invoices using its existing credit card facilities, including where the supplier does not normally accept cards
- Earn rewards from both its card issuer and participating network programs
- Use its card’s interest-free period to manage working capital
- Process invoices through a single dashboard combining accounts payable, payments and rewards, which Spenda says is up to five times faster than traditional accounting platforms
- Complete supplier payment runs in one process, replacing the aged payables report, payment batch and ABA file upload required by traditional accounting systems
Revenue model and what to watch
Spenda will charge a per-transaction service fee of 1.2% to 1.7%, displayed to the payer before authorisation. The table below summarises the items relevant to investors.
| Item | Detail | Investor relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | 1.2% to 1.7% per transaction, shown to the payer before authorisation | Revenue driver |
| Deadline | 30 November 2026 | Demand catalyst |
| Addressable volume | $14.6Bn (2024-25 ATO card volumes) | Market context only |
Because the fee is charged per transaction, revenue under this model would scale with the payment volume processed through Spenda Gateway.
The announcement does not disclose revenue forecasts, customer numbers or launch timing beyond the relaunch. Uptake ahead of the 30 November 2026 deadline will be the key area to monitor.
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