Australia's four major banks are "on track" to fully participate in the public launch of the New Payments Platform next January, according to NPPA chief executive, Adrian Lovney.In an interview with Fairfax, Lovney downplayed suggestions that several major banks were battling to re-architect their internal payments systems to be ready for a November launch of the NPP."All of the banks that are participating are moving in absolute lockstep and absolute unison through the final stage of testing, and we anticipate a strong take-up and a strong participation at launch," he told Fairfax.The NPP, which has been designed to deliver real-time payments for local bank customers, is earmarked to go live to the public after Australia Day next year.More than 50 deposit-taking institutions are expected to be participating in the new system in late January, with stragglers to be joined progressively throughout 2018.One of the big issues likely to emerge as the system is bedded down concerns whether the 13 institutions that hold equity in NPP Australia Limited will come under pressure from the competition regulator to float the company.The platform is owned by the RBA, the four major banks, Cuscal and seven other payments system participants.