Paying the Creator Economy in Real Time: Opportunities & Challenges

The internet and social media have transformed the way people work, earn money and engage with audiences. From freelance designers and TikTok influencers to gig workers and marketplace sellers, the creator economy is worth an estimated $1 billion in Australia alone.  

One way creatives find work is by uploading their profile and connecting with clients on freelancer platforms. These online hubs solve problems for their users, but in the back end, managing high volumes of microtransactions, cross-border payments and complex payout schedules can be difficult.  

The challenge of paying creators

Paying creators and freelancers via online platforms isn’t as simple as sending a one-off transfer. Behind every transaction lies a web of intermediaries, varying bank details, regional payment rails and tax obligations. For platforms that manage hundreds or thousands of users, these challenges multiply fast.

Common issues for creator economy platforms include:

• Delayed payments: Traditional banking rails can take days to settle, damaging trust and satisfaction.

• Manual reconciliation: Administrative teams can lose hours matching payments to creators, campaigns or milestones.

• Global complexity: Different currencies, compliance requirements and payment methods create friction.

• Cash flow uncertainty: Without real-time visibility, platforms can’t accurately forecast or manage liquidity.
  

Creators expect to be paid as quickly as they work, especially when their income depends on real-time engagement or short-lived opportunities. When platforms can’t deliver instant payouts, frustration and churn follow.

The opportunity: Improving payments at scale

For years, creative and freelance platforms have been limited by legacy banking rails designed for slow, predictable transactions. In Australia, the New Payments Platform (NPP) has changed that, introducing a new era of instant, data-rich transfers that move money securely, any time of day or night.

How the NPP transforms creator payments

At the core of this shift are tools like PayID and PayTo, which together eliminate much of the friction that once made paying creators complex, costly, and delayed.

• PayID in practice: Instead of relying on traditional BSB and account numbers, creators can link their payments to a simple, human identifier like an email address, mobile number or ABN. When a brand or platform pays a creator, the funds arrive in seconds, not days, and built-in confirmation of payee checks verify that the money is being sent to the correct person. The result is fewer failed transactions, less fraud risk, and a faster, more transparent payout experience.
  

• PayTo agreements: For ongoing or subscription-based models, PayTo enables platforms to securely “pull” funds from an authorised account the moment a milestone or billing date is reached. This replaces traditional direct debits, which can take up to three days to settle, with real-time transfers that clear instantly and cost less to process. Using this technology, platforms can automate recurring payments from vendors or subscribers, collect campaign-based commissions, or charge usage fees with total visibility into every transaction.
  

Why speed matters

As fintech evolves, real-time settlement is giving platforms from all industries a competitive advantage. For platforms that support the creator economy, the benefits extend to:

• Instant reconciliation: Each payment can carry rich data fields, allowing platforms to instantly match transactions to individual creators, projects, or campaigns.

• Improved liquidity: With live visibility into outflows and inflows, finance teams can forecast more accurately and make data-driven decisions.

• Lower operational costs: Real-time payments reduce the need for manual checks, follow-ups, and overnight batch files, freeing teams to focus on growth.

How Monoova serves the creator economy

Flexible, real-time payments are the foundation of how the creator economy moves money, and solutions must be instant, automated, verified, and available around the clock.  

Monoova provides payment infrastructure that helps platforms in the gig, influencer, and creator economy manage the complexity of high-volume, high-frequency transactions at scale.

Through a single API integration, platforms can automate both incoming and outgoing payments, ensuring creators are paid quickly, securely and automatically.

Monoova enables:

• Automated payouts: Funds are released instantly when milestones, campaign completions, or deliverables are confirmed.

• Subscription billing: Monoova enables the collection of regular subscription payments if the platform’s billing models require it, facilitating both push and pull payments through PayTo, PayID, or Direct Entry.

• Easier reconciliation: Assigning a unique virtual account to each creator or venue makes it easier to automatically match payments, eliminating the need for manual tracking.

• Individual account management: Monoova’s ledger capability can be used to segregate and track funds for different users or entities

• Escrow conditions: funds can be held and released based on specific requirements, providing escrow-like protection and transparency for both parties.

• Multi-rail flexibility: Monoova supports NPP, PayTo, BPAY, Direct Debit, and international FX payments, allowing platforms to manage both local and cross-border flows through a single connection.

• Real-time data visibility: Webhook notifications update platforms the moment funds move, helping teams monitor balances, transaction histories, and cash flow forecasts instantly.

A real-time future for creators

The creator economy never slows down, and neither should the systems that support it. With Monoova’s real-time payment technology, platforms can simplify funds transfers, strengthen liquidity, and scale with confidence, giving creators fast, reliable access to their earnings, and other users easier ways to pay.  

Frequently Asked Questions

How do platforms pay creators in real time?

Platforms can use NPP-enabled payments such as PayID and PayTo to settle creator payouts instantly, 24/7.

Why are fast payouts important in the creator economy?

Creators rely on immediate access to earnings. Delayed payments reduce trust and increase churn.

What payment methods work best for creator platforms?

PayID, PayTo, NPP transfers and automated reconciliation tools support high-volume creator payouts efficiently.

Can platforms manage international creator payments?

Yes. Monoova supports FX and international payouts alongside local payment rails.

About Monoova

Monoova is a leading provider of intelligent payment solutions, helping businesses optimise their payment processes, enhance customer experiences, and scale efficiently. Visit www.monoova.com or read Monoova’s PDS/FSG to find out more about our payment solutions and services.

For media enquiries, please contact: PressEnquiries@Monoova.com