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Giro

For the Italian bicycle race see Giro d'Italia.


A giro is a method of payment. It has some similarities with a cheque, but whereas a cheque is given to the payee who deposits it in his or her bank, a giro is given by the payer to his or her bank, which transfers funds into the payee's bank. As a result, a giro cannot "bounce", because the bank will only process the order if the payer has sufficient funds to cover the payment.

Giro systems have been used at least since Egypt in the 1st century AD and were the main method of money transfer in early banking. Modern electronic bill payment is similar to the use of giro.

Last updated: 05-15-2005 05:33:37