Instant payment explained

Instant payment (sometimes referred to as real-time payment or faster payment) is a method of electronic funds transfer, allowing for almost immediate transfer of money between bank accounts. This was in contrast to the previous transfer times of one to three business days that had been in place until the mid-2010s.[1]

Since the mid-2010s many countries have implemented instant payment systems that speed up the transfer between bank accounts in response to customer demand for faster transactions.[1]

The Euro Retail Payments Board (ERPB) in 2018 defined instant payments as:

History

Originally clearing of payments was based on the cheque clearing cycle that required physical cheques to be exchanged by banks at clearing houses for payments to be made between bank accounts. When electronic payments entered the banking systems from the 1970s onwards, the same timeframes and processes were used to settle these electronic payments.

The growth of e-commerce since the 2000s has caused a change in people's spending patterns and expectations. Shopping is no longer confined to regular business hours, creating new challenges for funds transfers.[2] Similarly, merchants require faster and more reliable money transfer systems to keep up with consumers' demands.[3]

Traditional electronic payments like bank transfers, that perform the electronic funds transfers within a few business days, are not in line with user expectations.[4] [5]

Notable instant payment systems by country

NameCountryLaunchedPayment SourcesIdentifiersNotable FeaturesTransaction Volume per year (in billions)
New Payments Platform (NPP) Australia2018Bank AccountPhone number, email or Australian Business NumberRecurring Payments1.2 (2022)[6]
Pix Brazil2020[7] Bank Account[8] QR codePix Key/Alias[9] Get change as cash at merchants (Pix Troco)[10] Cash withdrawal (Pix Saque).[11] 42 (2023)[12]
Internet Banking Payment System (IBPS) China2010Bank Accounte-wallet[13] QR CodeMobile NumberRecurring Payments18 (2022)[14]
MobilePay Denmark2013Bank AccountMobile NumberCommon app for users of all banks, ability to chat.-
MobilePay Finland2013Bank Account[15] Mobile NumberCommon app for users of all banks, ability to chat.-
Faster Payment System (FPS) Hong Kong2018e-wallet, Bank Account[16] QR CodeMobile NumberSupports both Hong Kong Dollar & Chinese Yuan Renminbi0.531 (2023)[17]
GIRO Zrt Hungary2020Bank Account[18] Bank Account NumberMobile Number

Email

Tax Number

-
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) India2016Bank AccountPrepaid Wallet

Credit Card

Credit Line

CBDC Stored Value[19]

QR CodeNFC

UPI ID

Mobile Number

Sound Pattern

Bank Account Number with IFSC

Recurring Payments (UPI AutoPay)Foreign Inward Remittance

Payments without Internet/Network (UPI Lite X)

Feature phone compatibility

UPI OneWorld (for tourists)

ATM Withdrawal

117.6 (2023)[20] [21]
Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) India2010[22] Bank AccountMobile Money Identifier (MMID)Bank Account Number with IFSC.Foreign Inward Remittance (FIR)[23] 5.8 (2023)[24]
ZENGIN Japan1973Bank AccountAccount NumberInward Remittance[25] 3 (2023)
CliQ Jordan2020Bank Account[26] IBANAccount numberAlias0.03 (2023)[27]
Raast Pakistan2019Bank AccountIBANMobile Number[28] 0.16 (2023)
InstaPay Philippines2018Bank Accounte-wallet[29] QR CodeAccount Number and Recipient's Bank Name Mobile NumberEmail ID0.74 (2023)[30]
PESONet Philippines2017Bank Accounte-wallet[31] Account Number and Recipient's Bank Name Mobile NumberEmail ID[32] 0.08 (2023)
Bilk Poland2015Bank AccountNFCDynamic Code[33] ATM Withdrawal & DepositRecurring Payments1.80 (2023)[34]
Fast and Secure Transfers (FAST) Singapore2014Bank AccountBank Account Number with Bank Code[35] 0.29 (2022)[36]
PayNow Singapore2017Bank AccountQR CodeNRICMobile Number[37] International Remittance0.31 (2022)[38]
Bizum Spain2016[39] Bank Account[40] Mobile NumberQR CodeDirect Donations to NGOs1 (2022)[41]
Swish Sweden2012[42] Bank AccountQR CodeMobile Number[43] -
Twint Switzerland2017[44] Bank AccountQR CodeMobile NumberDynamic Token0.59 (2023)[45]
PromptPay Thailand2021Bank AccountQR CodeMobile Number3.6 (2023)[46]
Faster Payment Service (FPS) United Kingdom2008Bank AccountAccount Number and Recipient NameQR CodeForward dated paymentsStanding orders4.5 (2023)[47]
Zelle United States2017Bank AccountEmailMobile Number2.3 (2022)
FedNow United States2023Bank Account
Ukraine2009Bank AccountMobile Number 0.05 (2021)[48]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Are instant payments becoming the new normal? A comparative study . . . 5 August 2020.
  2. Web site: Digital transformation of the retail payments ecosystem. 3 . Banca d'Italia . 30 November 2017 . bancaditalia.it . 2 September 2018.
  3. Web site: What are instant payments? . InstaPay . 2018 . instapay.today . 2 September 2018.
  4. Web site: 2019: The Year Of Instant Payments. PYMNTS. 2019-01-01. PYMNTS.com. 2019-08-20.
  5. Web site: Instant payments are the future - here's why . Nordea . 2018 . insights.nordea.com . 2 September 2018.
  6. Web site: Phu . Rita . 2022-11-04 . NPP Roadmap provides update on the platform's uptake and capability development . 2024-02-21 . NPPA.
  7. Web site: Banco Central do Brasil . 2024-02-21 . bcb.gov.br.
  8. Web site: PIX - Payment Methods Encyclopedia - PayU Global . 2024-02-21.
  9. Web site: PIX: The new instant payment system from BACEN EBANX . 2024-02-21 . ebanx.com.
  10. Web site: PIX Troco (Change) EBANX . 2024-02-21 . ebanx.com.
  11. Web site: What is the meaning of PIX Saque (Withdrawal)? EBANX . 2024-02-21 . ebanx.com.
  12. Web site: Pix by the numbers 2023 .
  13. Web site: World Bank FPS China IBPS Case Study .
  14. Web site: PYMNTS Real Time-Payments World Map October 2023 .
  15. Web site: Lähetä rahaa . 2024-02-21 . mobilepay.fi . fi.
  16. Web site: HKICL FPS . 2024-02-21 . fps.hkicl.com.hk.
  17. Web site: HKICL Statistics . 2024-02-21 . fps.hkicl.com.hk.
  18. Web site: IO . Moon . GIRO Zrt. - Az idő pénz. . 2024-02-21 . giro.hu . hu.
  19. Web site: 2023-09-05 . UPI QR Code-Central Bank Digital Currency interoperability: How does it work and how do customers benefit? . 2024-02-21 . The Indian Express.
  20. News: 2024-01-03 . RecordPay: UPI transactions crossed 100-billion mark in 2023 . 2024-02-21 . The Economic Times . 0013-0389.
  21. Web site: ETBFSI.com . UPI payments at peak high in December, value of transactions rises - ET BFSI . 2024-02-21 . ETBFSI.com.
  22. Web site: IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) – Instant fund transfer NPCI . 2024-02-21 . npci.org.in.
  23. Web site: FIR through IMPS . 2024-02-21 . npci.org.in.
  24. Web site: ProdIMPS Volumes NPCI - National Payments Corporation of Indiauct Statistics . 2024-02-21 . npci.org.in.
  25. Web site: Zengin Statistics .
  26. Web site: CliQ (System) JOPACC . 2024-02-21 . jopacc.com.
  27. Web site: Cliq December monthly report 2023 en .
  28. Web site: RAAST Person to Person (P2P) . 2024-02-21 . sbp.org.pk.
  29. Web site: 2020-10-14 . What is InstaPay and How Do I Use It? Coins.ph . 2024-02-21 . Coins Academy Coins.ph.
  30. Web site: CEDadiantiTyClea . 2023-12-27 . Transactions via PESONet, InstaPay reach P11.6 trillion . 2024-02-21 . BusinessWorld Online.
  31. Web site: PESONet . 2024-02-21 . PPMI.
  32. Web site: Your Guide to Using PESONet . 2024-02-21 . bpi.com.ph.
  33. Web site: Blik . First steps with BLIK . 2024-02-21 . blik.com.
  34. Web site: BLIK sums up 2023 – nearly 1.8 billion transactions and 3 million new users . 2024-07-30 . blik.com . pl.
  35. Web site: FAST .
  36. Web site: Singapore: FAST transactions volume 2022 . 2024-02-21 . Statista.
  37. Web site: 2023-11-17 . PayNow Explained: A Guide to Seamless Transactions in Singapore . 2024-02-21 . Decentro.
  38. Web site: https://www.dpi.global/globaldpi/singapore_paynow . 2024-02-21 . dpi.global.
  39. Web site: Bizum Learn about us, our history and our mission . 2024-02-21.
  40. Web site: Bizum Find out how it works and what will be used for. . 2024-02-21.
  41. Web site: Corner . Bizum Reaches 20 Million Users And 1 Billion Transactions The Corner . 2024-02-21.
  42. Web site: Swish - För en enklare vardag sedan 2012. . 2024-02-21 . Swish.
  43. Web site: Swish - För en enklare vardag sedan 2012. . 2024-02-21 . Swish.
  44. Web site: TWINT .
  45. Web site: Twint Stats 2023 .
  46. Web site: Thailand: PromptPay transactions volume 2023 . 2024-02-21 . Statista.
  47. Web site: Faster Payment System statistics . 2024-02-21 . Pay.UK.
  48. https://www.easypay.pt/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/8706-CAI-202112.EN_.pdf EasyPay 2021 report