The business case for adopting real-time payments in enterprise settings is compelling. Instant settlement drives efficiency in processes long built around paper checks, while also giving organizations unprecedented control over liquidity and cash flow.
The liquidity advantage is also fueling growth on the consumer side. The Clearing House recently reported that its RTP Network reported two million transactions in a single day and set a new single-day value record of $8.36 billion. The network attributed this growth to adoption across use cases like earned wage access (EWA) disbursements, gig economy payouts, and account-to-account transfers.
“Consumers expect money to move quickly, whether that be from their employer, paying a friend, or a biller,” said Ben Danner, Senior Debit Analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research. “EWA is built around faster access to funds and the same could be said for working gig economy jobs like ridesharing.”
“As budgets tighten, consumers are going to be moving their balances they may have built in wallets and P2P apps back into their banks checking account,” he said. “We’ve seen growth in core deposits suggesting consumers are increasingly relying on their financial institution, which is generally perceived safer than app-based payments.”
Seeking Payments Alternatives
Consumers, meanwhile, continue to navigate persistent inflationary pressures. Many have leaned more heavily on credit cards, but rising default or delinquency risks have prompted lenders to tighten underwriting standards, reduce credit lines, and focus more on affluent segments.
As a result, alternative payment methods have gained traction. Buy now, pay later (BNPL) services have skyrocketed in popularity, even as overall credit card debt levels remain elevated—both a signal of consumer strain and a growing concern for traditional issuers.
Keeping Funds In-House
These factors have made real-time payments an attractive alternative for debt-laden consumers. BY enabling consumers to hold onto funds until the moment a payment is due, these systems provide a powerful cash flow management tool. That dynamic helps explain why the RTP Network has continued to expand even after the launch of the Federal Reserve’s FedNow instant payments service two years ago.
In fact, both networks continue to post new volume and value records. While much of that growth has been driven by commercial payments adoption—particularly after transaction limits were raised to $10 million last year—the same liquidity and timing benefits that appeal to businesses are increasingly resonating with consumers as well.
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