The UK's Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank has added the MasterCard Secure Code and Verified by Visa online authentication services to its automated BillPay Web site.
The 3D Secure services require customers making bill payments via the site to provide passwords to authenticate transactions.
A&L says the technology is the latest weapon in the battle against online card fraud as it creates a "trust chain" throughout the transaction and shifts the liability for fraud from the merchant to the issuer.
Graham Long, head of payment services at A&L Commercial Bank, says: "The growth we have seen over the last few years clearly indicates that the Internet is fast becoming the preferred bill payment channel for many. 3D Secure will provide businesses and payers with enhanced security and I am confident that this will lead to further growth in the number of organisations choosing our BillPay service."
A&L's BillPay service was launched in July 2000 and over 200 bill issuers now use the service. The service is used by Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) as well as utility companies, local authorities, housing associations and debt collection agencies.
More than 1.9 million online bill payments were made by business customers via the site in 2007, representing a year-on-year increase of more than 70%.